EVIL: Denounced; A Devastation Tribulation

Chapter 1: "Forever Changed"

[ Note: This is a ROLE PLAY. Not a regular story. Consiquentially, you might find yourself reading about things that have already happened through the eyes of another character. Don't worry, it's not hard to get used to. Something else to note is the color of the font- to make it easier on your brain, we've color-coded posts according to character. The colors are based on hair, and therefore, it might be a bit hard to read. If you've having trouble, just highlight it by clicking down and running your mouse over it. :) Real easy. ... Okay, enjoy the story! ^_^ ]

It had only been two days since Butch and Cassidy had returned to the TRHQ in Viridian City with Giovanni. Until only a few moments before, Giovanni had not said a word to either of the agents. Butch had immediately been sent to the medical wing after he had passed upon stepping off of the plane. So for two days now, Cassidy had been alone, and terrified... at not knowing what Giovanni would have in store for the two of them. The silence... was awkward. She had never known Giovanni to be this angry. But... she'd find out what he could do soon enough.

Cassidy sighed deeply, and set a hand to her head. She still wasn't feeling up to par.. if only she had a few more days to get her energy back. But.. eh... she wasn't going to be around much longer anyway. She had been called into Giovanni's office.. for a "meeting," as he called it. She was almost certain.. that the moment she'd walk in she'd be shot. She gulped now as she set her free hand onto the doorknob that would lead her into Agent 009, Domino's small office... before she would be allowed entry into Giovanni's small lair.

"Well... here goes... everything...." She closed her eyes... quickly slipping into Domino's office.. and slammed the door behind her. She leaned against the door breathing heavily. Augh... no... no! Even if... she WAS about to face death.. an agent such as herself should not be afraid to die! But... she couldn't help it... she was going to die. Alone. Mmmf... and she wasn't even going to be able to say good-bye to.. Butch. What.... were they going to do to him..?

She winced.. as she imagined the pain he might be forced into... before his death.. as well. Ugh.. this was all so unfair! WHY did they have to fail? They were such a great team! And not only that... but the best of friends as well. Without Butch around... this was going to be... difficult. If only... she could see his.. sweet face... one.... last... time...

She gasped suddenly when she slipped.. and crashed to the floor. Her eyes snapped open.. and she took a quick glance around the room. Oh. Right. She was in Domino's office. but.... where was Domino? She blinked... and pushed herself up. She slowly made her way over to the desk in the middle of the room. Perhaps Domino was in her chair.. sleeping? It was getting rather late... But... nope. No Domino. Hmm.. oh well. Then it would be all right to go into Giovanni's office without her permission.

Just as she was turning.. she spotted something out of the corner of her eye.. sitting right at the edge of Domino's desk. She did a double take when she noticed.. her name... written on the envelope. Without hesitation, she reached down and grabbed the envelope. She slowly slipped the piece of paper out.. and unfolded it.... only... to sweatdrop. She hardly knew this Domino girl.. but by what she could tell.... the girl.. was very strange...

"Just WHO does this girl think she is, anyway?" An eyebrow raised after she finished reading the short note inside:

To: Cassidy

Stop right there! You didn't think it would be so easy to just get into Giovanni's office without me there, did you? No way will any dirty little class A Rocket girl get in without my say-so! But he told me he was expecting you. Still, that doesn't mean that you get any special treatment! You are to sign in just like all of the other failures who enter into these doors. Now sign your name at the bottom of this paper and put it back into the envelope neatly.

You are now granted permission to enter the doors of the Team Rocket leader, Giovanni! Have a nice day!

Cassidy sighed once more now... as she stuffed the note back into the envelope.... signed. Eh.. well.. that was certainly interesting. At least her death had been stalled a little bit. But.. now it was time. She took one last deep breath.. before making her way to the double doors... that would decide her fate....

Inside of his office, Giovanni had been finishing up some important paperwork concerning his gym. Updated badges were going to be issued to him... so he was just making sure he had dotted every I and crossed every T in his paperwork... before he would send it back to the Pokemon League Officials. Just as he had finished signing his name, he heard a very soft knock at his door. Ah.. that must be the agent he had been expecting...

"Come in, Cassidy..." He set his pen down lightly.. and relaxed back into his large chair.. as he watched the door begin to open.

"I appreciate your coming here. I trust the rest you have gotten over the past two day s has been refreshing to your sore body?" He smirked, watching her as she bowed to him.. just as she always did.

"But let's cut straight to it, shall we?" He spoke instantly... not even giving her time to think.

"The reason you are here... is because of your most recent failure. What do you have to say about this?"

Cassidy gulped... keeping her eyes glued to the floor. She didn't want to see... the look of anger... and hatred... pasted on his face. Nnng... but now he was asking her questions... Why did this have to be so difficult?

"I... I'm sorry, sir. Everything.. had gone according to plan... until Officer Jenny showed up for the first time. Then-"

"You two have awfully rotten luck when it comes to those Jennys..." Giovanni cut her off. He leaned over onto his desk.. supporting himself with his elbows... as his eyebrows lowered.

"Continue..."

"Ar.... Right..." Cassidy sighed.

"Then... they had surrounded us. We had no choice but to retreat... and go back for it later..."

"I did not ask for the entire story..." Giovanni slammed his fists onto his desk.

"I'm.... sorry.... sir..." Cassidy winced.

"Now tell me..." Giovanni began, standing from his chair.

"What on earth should be done... with a failure like you?"

Cassidy took a step back. She could feel tears begin to form in her eyes.

"......." But no words.. came to her mind.

Giovanni began to step closer to her... becoming angrier at every moment of silence she emitted.

"Answer me, Cassidy! How do you believe you and your pathetic partner should be punished for the great crime you committed toward Team Rocket?? You two could easily be demoted because of this. You could even lose your jobs.. and spend the rest of your lives as experiments of the Team Rocket scientists!" He took his final step toward her now and lashed his hand out.. grabbing her collar.. and almost lifting her off the ground.

Cassidy only let out a squeak as she was yelled at.. and then grabbed. Her tears flowed freely now. She had never been more terrified of anything in life... more than this moment.

"I.... I'm sorry, sir!!!" Those were the only words able to find their way out of her mouth... as finally... she looked up into Giovanni's angry eyes... with her own tearstained, frightened eyes.

"Sorry...?" Giovanni spat. What good was sorry going to do? She had already done the damage. And now... she was acting in a way.. she never had before. She was... crying... and speechless. Bah! Weakness! Team Rocket had no room for weakness! What good.. would Team Rocket do... with the fear.. and tears in her eyes... begging... for... mercy...?

".....?" He blinked suddenly.. as he stared deeper.. and longer.. into the terrified violet eyes. Something about this... seemed very... familiar. He raised an eyebrow now. Hmm.. well.. perhaps... he could give her... an option. She wasn't... a horrible agent, after all...

"Cassidy..." He spoke softer now... a slight smirk appearing on his face.

"I will let you both off the hook. Though both of your pay will be cut in half for the time being.. until the damage is paid up." He nodded.. but did not loosen his grip on her.

Cassidy's head had been just about to explode as he began to speak.. ready to tell her her fate. But..

"......?!!?" Instead.. her mouth dropped. He was going to let them go? But.. with less pay... Oh well! This was a miracle! She was going to get to see Butch again after all! She blinked a bit.. to clear her mind.. before she would glance into Giovanni's eyes. Once again.. she froze. Something about... the look in his eyes now.... was...... sickening.

"However..." Giovanni spoke again.

Cassidy looked away from him quickly. He.... wasn't done yet...

"Tell me this..." Giovanni continued, pulling Cassidy closer to himself now.

"How much do you value your partnership with Butch?"

Cassidy raised her eyebrows... and.. sweatdropped.. as she was pulled closer to him.. and then.. questioned. Eh? That.... was an... odd question. Why on earth.. would he care how their partnership was?

"Our team is.. like no other, sir. Butch and I work together to do our best for you..." There.. throw in a little butt kissing. That never hurt anyone...

"I see..." Giovanni's smirk spread across his face. She obviously valued their partnership very much. He could tell... by the look in her eyes. Well.. now he'd see just how faithful she was to her partner... And if it worked... it would be to his own advantage.

"Then let me say this. I will give you... a choice. Either you decline.. and lose your partnership with Butch for good... or you stay with him..." His smirk grew eviler now... as he paused... and lowered his head to whisper into her ear...

"..... if you give me..... your body....."

Cassidy's eyes widened. Had she just... heard correctly? Did he just say... he wanted... her... body..? He... he wanted to... sleep with her...??!!? HOW DISGUSTING WAS THIS???

"........." But... if she didn't... she was... going to... lose Butch? But! That was... SO UNFAIR!! No person in their right mind would make someone... choose something like that!! However.. this WAS Giovanni she was dealing with...

"B-but..... s-sir...? I... I don't.... understand...."

"What is there to understand?" Giovanni began to chuckle evilly... as he set both of his hands on Cassidy's shoulders... and held her there... firmly.

"Either your body.... or no Butch. I think that's pretty clear..."

"I..... I....." Cassidy began to shudder. What the HELL was this madman doing to her?? She couldn't possibly give Butch up!! But to keep him... equaled... No! No! It just wasn't right! She sniffled now... her tears returning to her once again. Damn it! She was so sick of crying. But what choice did she have? The ultimatum was... no sex = no Butch. Ugh! She could never... give him up! But... she always wanted to be... faithful toward him... She always felt that maybe... their friendship... could become a bit more.... But no! Now Giovanni would ruin that dream...

"...." She was going to stay with Butch.. and that... was final. As soon as that thought passed through her mind, she felt her body become limp.... and then her mind once again entered into a world... of darkness.

****

Ahh. Rest and Relaxation. The two words and thoughts at hand for the entire night. Though a series of unfortunate events had befallen him and his partner, with the recent happenings of the past few days, it was really hard for Butch to do much else either than wait for himself to be completely healed. The process had started off nicely only two days ago, and now, as the clock approached six AM, he could feel his senses rising from their dulled state to greet the new day. Though, what it brought was news to him.

"Mrr..." He grumbled before yawning and stretching a bit. His head craned, at this moment, to gaze at the bed across the room from his to-

"Cassidy...?" Oh, right. She was... gone. Hm. VERY odd. He had come back to their room from the medical wing last night, expecting to talk with her about their inevitable punishment. But... she hadn't been in the room. He had waited for hours... before finally letting the last little bit of medication left in him drown out his thoughts in a dreamless sleep.

... But now, it was six o'clock in the morning. The sun would be rising in just a few minutes... and Cassidy still had not returned. This was odd... He sweatdropped... What on earth could have gone on at that meeting? Geez, he hoped she was okay. He didn't know what he'd do without her...

... but of course she was okay, he reassured himself. She was Cassidy. At times, she seemed to have more strength than himself. Perhaps she had just been too tired to climb two flights of stairs that night, and had crashed on a couch in the first-floor lounge. It was entirely possible. Heck, he had fallen out of consciousness a few moments after reaching the headquarters two days ago... and there hadn't even been a nice cushion to break his fall.

Yes... He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She was all right. She had to be.

Swoosh.... Slam. Paraparaparaparaparaparaparapara pa pa crash.

The sounds of an agent slipping quickly out of a room and rushing up the stairs.. to get to her room on the third floor.. could be heard by any door she had passed. She had to get up there... fast. Her partner.. was waiting for her!

Cassidy had woken up only a few minutes before.. to find herself actually living.. what she had only thought was a nightmare. She could not believe.... it had actually happened.... but.. mrf... no time to think about that.. Butch was sleeping in their room.. and... she had to get up there... before he knew she was gone all night long. She needed to tell him... that their only punishment.. was going to be.... having their pay... cut.

"Nng... nng... aaawaaaaah! Ugh!!" She slipped and fell again... not being able to control the great speed she was forcing herself to run at..... And she crashed right into the wall next to the door that would allow her entrance into her room. Meh.. hopefully that didn't wake Butch up.....

"....eh..... I can't.... believe this...." She spoke quietly as she pushed herself up.. and dusted off her skirt. She then blinked. Her.... boots.. and her gloves.. were.. missing. AAAUGH!! They were back with Giovanni!!! No no NO!! She wasn't going back there.... she'd have to avoid it at all costs. Mmf.. it was going to be all right... She was just going to slip into her bed. Butch would never know.. she was missing.

"..... okay...." She sighed.. and glanced at a clock on a wall at the closer end of the hallway. 6:10. Butch was definitely still asleep. He barely ever woke up before 7:30. She set a hand on the door.. and pushed slightly as she searched for her key. But.. to her surprise.. the door.. opened. ... hmm.. Butch must have left the door open for her last night. How..... sweet.

But.. anyway... inside! She pushed the door open the rest of the way. Quietly. And made her way quickly to her bed and slipped under her blankets. Unnoticed.

"Eh?!" Butch had jumped slightly at the sound the great impact had produced upon their room's outside wall. His eyes were now warily focused on his door. Hmmm, what on earth.

"..." He watched for a few moments as the door opened, and then... shut his eyes right before Cassidy would notice him. Okay, good, she was here now. He pretended to sleep as he heard her walk past his bed and get into her own. Hmm... she was obviously still quite tired. He could tell by the way she was stumbling. So, perhaps she needed more sleep. Well, all right...

... Except, he couldn't quite... fall asleep now. Questions were now throwing themselves at him. Damn his being awake so early. He never woke up this early! If only he hadn't spent the past few days in the medical wing... then he'd be properly exhausted enough to carry on with his sleeping.

"..." He sighed quietly. He'd just have to... lay awake until Cassidy woke up as well...

Cassidy sighed... as she laid in her bed.... and stared... at Butch's back. She felt... so horrible right now. Mmf... Butch could never know...... what had happened at that "meeting" last night. She would only tell him.. what would become of their money. As far as Butch would know.. that's all that happened. Butch would probably.. be so crushed.... if he ever.. found out.. the truth. They were such... great friends... Of course they weren't together. But well.... that had been... a wish of hers for quite some time now. She hoped that one day... they would become.. closer...

"Naaaaahaa........." She whined, shaking her head... and then shoving her face into her pillow. Eh.... everything would be.... okay. It might take a little while for the shock of what actually happened to go away. But eventually.... everything would be normal again. She was going to remain.. Butch's partner. And that's all that mattered.

Butch's gaze turned to his side whenever he heard Cassidy sighing. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for the moment where he would turn around... to make sure she had fallen asleep, like she well deserved. Except...

"...??" He heard her whine. Okay... so things were NOT okay. He waited a few seconds... before casually turning on his side... to look at her, her face buried in her pillow. She was... certainly distressed. It would... probably be a while before she got to sleep again. And well... maybe talking it out with her would make her feel better. He was sure he was half of the reason for her obvious worry. After all, he had failed just like she had... That meeting... had not been a good one. And... well, had it not been for him, she probably would have carried out the mission successfully. ...Yes, he definitely owed her a talk. He would have to find out what was going on... and apologize for being so pathetic.

"..." As quietly as possible, he pulled his covers away from himself... and threw his feet over the edge of the bed, setting himself upon the floor to crawl to her side (as he knew it was probably best he not walk if he wanted to stay unnoticed). As soon as he reached her bedside, he sat up upon his knees... and set his hand to her arm, gently nudging her. He waited until she had raised her head and opened her eyes to look at him... before pulling back and crossing his arms on her bedside, laying his chin upon them.

"Hey... you okay?" He asked, trying to stay as... innocent as possible. He didn't want to agitate her more. As mentioned earlier, he was the cause for her grief... So he didn't want her to... yell at him upon sight. At least, not yet, anyway...

Cassidy turned her head instantly when she felt a hand fall upon her arm.... eyes.. wide. But when she saw who the hand's owner was.. her eyes instantly softened.. and.. she blinked. Oh... right..... she was.. in her own room now. She wasn't with.. Giovanni any longer. MMMMF!! This was going to be so difficult to get over!! Oh if she could only.. go off by herself.. and.. cry.... Butch could tell.. something was bothering her. There was no hiding it... he could read her like a book. Oh how.. precious.. and... innocent.. and clueless.. he was...

"Hmm.. well you're certainly awake early..." But still... avoiding the subject.... might work.

"Nice to see you back in one piece..." She forced a smile.

"Are you feeling any better..? You scared me.. when you passed out the other day....."

Butch... raised his eyebrows at Cassidy's reaction to his touch... but decided to ignore it. Mmm, this obviously needed to be taken slowly.

"..." He blinked when she turned the subject around on him... Okay... he'd bite. But only for so long.

"Heh, yea, a guy can only sleep for so long..." He said quietly. He waited for her to ask her question... before nodding slightly.

"Yeah, I think I'm getting there. My foot is still a little sore, but eh, that won't take more than a day or so to quit. So... don't worry. I'm fine." He smiled a bit... and then focused his eyes back on hers, to convey his sincerity.

"How about you? ... I haven't seen you in a couple of days. How did things... go?" He asked, hesitantly. Hmm... He'd find out what was bothering her soon enough.

Cassidy nodded as Butch spoke.... keeping a soft smile on her face. She was glad to hear.. that Butch was going to be okay. At least ..... her part of Giovanni's "bargain" would be... valid. Butch was okay.. and she really would still get to be with him. But of course.... Butch was going to ask the inevitable. She blinked for a moment.. trying to think of yet another way to change the subject. But.... nothing. Meh.. she could at least tell him about the pay cut. Then at least.. any talk of the meeting would be out of the way.

"Eh..... well... surprisingly enough, Butch... I walked out of there with good news!" She nodded.. crossing her arms.

"He's not going to punish us... after all... hmmhmm.. Can you believe it? We're valuable enough to him.. that he can't do anything but keep us. And really... I'd have it no other way.. than to be your partner... working alongside you for good!" She raised a brow. Okay.. finish this quick...

"The only downside is.. he is going to cut both of our pay in half. But.. that's only until all of the damage is paid off. We got off pretty easy.. don't you agree?"

Butch raised his eyebrows as Cassidy's entire demeanor changed in the blink of an eye.

"Good news, huh?" He asked, surprised. He listened to her speaking, and did not interject until she was finished.

"What? That's it? ... Yeah, that's terrific!" He said, still slightly shocked. He smirked a bit.

"You must be one hell of a sweet-talker, to convince him to do no more than that..." He nodded, and pulled his head away from his arms, laughing a little.

"Heh, just kind of proves you don't need me for anything, huh? I mean, knowing our luck, had I been there, we wouldn't have gotten off so easily..." he acknowledged aloud. Heh. He wasn't that great of a partner... but the only reason he even admitted to it... was most likely because he was almost certain Cassidy didn't feel that way at all about him. Sure, it had been different when they started out... but that was then... and this was now. Times had changed.

Cassidy smirked. There... finished. Now.. the subject would never have a reason to come up again. She was free!! Although the guilt would still remain inside of her. Eh.. and.. what if.. she and Butch.. ever... wanted to......

"......" Her eyes widened slightly.. and she shook her head. What was she thinking?????? She was acting like... like... a love-sick teenager or something...... But.. still. If she and Butch.. really ever did.. get closer..... how... would she admit to him what had happened..? Ack.. well.. that was for later. For now... things were going to be fine!!

"Heh.. too bad Jessie isn't here to see our success...." She winked.

"I say we celebrate! What do you think of going out for some curry?"

Butch laughed again when Cassidy mentioned Jessie. Well... things were definitely okay, now. Cassidy was back to normal- she was comparing herself to her least favorite person in the world again. He smiled when she mentioned going out, and nodded.

"All right. Let's make it count. We probably won't be going out for a long time after this, so today's gotta be good." He nodded, pulling back and standing tall again. Eh, all right, so they weren't going to have as much money as they normally had... but ah well. It was a small price to pay for what had happened. He could still... hardly believe that they had made it off so easily.

... But heck, who was he to question good fortune?

****

Morning. Another... morning. Hopefully.. to Cassidy.... this morning would not be the same as it had been for a week. Every morning now... for the past seven days... she had been feeling terribly sick... ending in having to race into the small bathroom in the room she shared with Butch. Today though... her eyes would constantly open.. and close. Hmmm.. so far... she felt... nothing. So maybe... it had gone away. Whatever it was......

She sighed... smiling a bit. No more sickness! Great! Today was going to be normal... finally! She hated.. how every morning Butch would have to wake up.. to that horrible retching. But not today! Nope nope!! Quickly.. she sat up.. and slid from her bed. Time to get dressed!

"........" Unfortunately... she didn't make it one step... before the pain in her stomach.... returned to her. Ugh.... not again...... She leaned over quickly.... grasping her stomach.... before dashing toward the bathroom. This had been.. her morning schedule.. every day now. Noooo.. it had to stop soon.....

When she had.. finished........ she plopped back onto her bed.. and sighed.... clutching her stomach. She glanced over to Butch's bed... and caught his eyes... watching her. Great..... she had woken him up. Again. He was probably wondering.. what in the world.. could be making her so sick. Eh... she didn't even know. But since.. this had been lasting for so long... perhaps.. it was time she figured out what was wrong with her. A quick trip to the medical wing would answer that.

With that.. she stood.. slowly.... and then finished getting dressed. She began walking toward the door.... and then.. reached for the handle... but turned her head back quickly. Butch.. was probably wondering where she was going..

"Butch... you can stay in bed a bit longer. I'm just... going for a walk..." She nodded.. then turned the doorknob... and exited the room.. making her way out into the hallway... and walked slowly.. to the medical wing.

Butch, indeed, had been watching Cassidy as she awoke and... became sick again. His head did not hit the pillow until the door had latched behind her. He simply sighed, and fell back, staring at the ceiling now. What on earth could have been causing all of this terrible nausea of hers? Perhaps... the cafeteria food. Eh, ever since they had gotten a pay cut, they had been forced to eat cheaper things. ... It was the only thing he could come up with.

All right... he closed his eyes. If she was going for a walk, she obviously felt better... so maybe today would be okay. He... certainly... hoped... so... zzz...

~~~~

It hadn't taken Cassidy very long to get to the medical wing of Team Rocket's Headquarters... but the wait... to see any of the registered Rocket doctors or nurses.. was... unbelievable. There was nobody in the waiting room but herself and one other grunt. Ugh.. what in the world could be taking so long? It had already been a half hour!!!!

Suddenly, from behind the door leading to the back halls of the particular medical office that Cassidy had visited, a head emerged, followed quickly by the rest of the body. The girl looked inquisitively around the room, pinkish loops bouncing all the while. Pulling her clipboard to the side, she smoothed her black skirt and pink apron together, then glancing down at the sheet upon it, and then up at the obvious one she would be seeing this morning.

"Miss Cassidy Wellington?" Nurse Joy questioned, sharing a glance for only a short moment before turning on her heal and waving her arm in the direction of the back hall.

"Come with me!"

Cassidy blinked suddenly.. when the door had opened.. and somebody had finally come to greet her. And that somebody was..... a Nurse Joy? She raised a brow.. oddly.... but did not hesitate to follow her. Nurse Joys could be trusted, after all. But what was one doing.. in Team Rocket? Eh.. no matter. As long as somebody could help her to get rid of this... nausea every morning.

As soon as they entered one of the rooms... Cassidy was told to sit on top of the bed.... waiting just for her. She looked around the room quickly. Hmm.. hopefully this wouldn't take very long......

"Ar... good morning....." She spoke up finally. Hmmm.. something about this Joy was... odd. She was almost refusing to share any eye contact with her. And not only that..... but..... well... she seemed very busy.. and rushed. But HOW??? There was NOBODY in here this morning! And out of the 10 doctors and nurses who were there every morning... how in the world could she be busy??? Or maybe.. it was just.. this particular Joy. Some were known to be.. more than.... odd. She knew. From experience.

Nurse Joy, upon entering the room, had immediately begun flitting about, picking up remnants of things from her last patient. She threw away a pair of plastic gloves, pitched a few plastic objects in the trash, and then... washed her hands again, just for good measure. She then pulled a stethoscope from a hanger on the wall, and set it around her neck, grabbing her clipboard and clicking a pen, poised for writing, not lifting her head.

"Morning!" She quickly said cheerily, before scrawling a few things on the piece of paper. She raised her eyebrows, allowing her hand to rest.

"Soo... lets cut to the chase, shall we? What seems to be the problem?"

"Well.." Cassidy began, shrugging her shoulders uncomfortably. Eh.. she hated having to ask for somebody else's help... ESPECIALLY a Nurse Joy. She would rather take care of things.. herself. But..... this was.. beyond her... so... eh..whatever.

"I'm just... wondering. Is it.... normal.... to get sick every morning?" She sweatdropped. Oh that sounded dumb. She knew very well it wasn't normal. Um.. anyway...

"I mean.... er... I've been getting.. well... nausea.. every morning for the past week. I thought it was going to go away... but when it happened again this morning.. I just.. had to find out what it was. I have an assignment I have to go out on today... and I want to know that I have nothing wrong with me before I go.."

Nurse Joy's pen began moving as soon as Cassidy's first word exited her mouth. However, she paused before Cassidy could get entirely through... and blinked. She looked up... and then across the room, to avoid eye contact yet again.

"... Well. Have you been eating anything out of the ordinary for dinner, first of all? A change in diet can wreak havoc on a person's digestive system, after all." She'd... ask the easy questions first, of course. She had a small inkling what Cassidy might be 'suffering' from. But she didn't want to suggest it... and offend her. Oh no, not at all.

Cassidy raised a brow. Had she been eating anything.. odd lately? Well... there was the cafeteria food..... but... she and Butch had eaten the food from there before.... and nothing had happened.

"Well..... the food from the cafeteria. But.. I don't think there would be anything in the food to poison the Rocket agents. If that was the case.. I'm sure this place would be filled beyond capacity every morning...." She laughed hesitantly... and then stopped.. when still.. Joy would not look at her. Meh.. that was kind of frustrating. Didn't the girl have any... manners? Then again.. she was in Team Rocket.

"When it first started... I thought it might be a stomach virus.... but those last.. basically.. all day. And I'm certain they don't last for a week... and only occur.. in the morning. I don't know.... maybe I'm not getting enough sleep..."

Nurse Joy stayed silent, allowing Cassidy to talk. She nodded now and then... scrawling things onto her paper. She sighed when Cassidy suggested something else, and blinked.

"Well... maybe." She paused for a moment, and then... opened her mouth to speak.

"I... you said this started a week ago, hm?" She questioned. She waited for Cassidy's affirmative answer, before continuing.

"Hm... If it's not too difficult to answer... can you tell me if... anything... 'happened,' around four weeks ago?" It was always somewhat difficult to address this situation for her... Especially if the one inquiring was... totally oblivious to it, as Cassidy was.

Cassidy looked to the floor now and sighed. Well this was going nowhere fast. It looked as if Team Rocket got themselves a Nurse Joy who had no idea what she was doing. What had happened within the past month? Well a lot of things. Duh. But surely none of those things could have caused her morning nausea. She shook her head.. trying to think back.

"A lot has happened....." She blinked boredly.

"Mainly the random assignments my partner and I are sent on. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Nurse Joy sighed heavily. Okay, Cassidy hadn't quite gotten her question... or perhaps she had... and had taken offense to it, and chosen to ignore it? How embarrassing...

"Er... okay." Perhaps... asking some other questions... would help her reach her conclusion.

"Question: ... What has your appetite been like lately?" She asked, on a whim.

"My.. appetite..?" Cassidy blinked. Well.... eating the cafeteria food every day had left her less than..... hungry.. for the most part. It's not that the food was bad... it was just... not up to par.. with how she would have wanted to eat.

"I guess it's been.... normal. I don't know.... with the food I'm stuck with now... there are days I don't want to eat a thing..... and.. I even feel that I don't need to eat...." She shrugged.

Nurse Joy nodded, and once again began writing things on the paper before her. All right... That was TWO symptoms... pointing towards the assumption in the back of her mind. She could already tell that... Cassidy was uncomfortable. And she wouldn't quite understand the connection she was making with the other few symptoms and her sickness that she had come to see about. So... All right. Next in line.

"Hmm..." She mused aloud, wandering over to the cabinet. She pulled open the cupboard from above, and extracted from it a bottle of rubbing alcohol. She then pulled a cotton ball out of a clear jar on the desk, and searched through the bottom cupboard... before unearthing a fresh needle. She kept her back to Cassidy as she readied everything, pushing the needle's lever all of the way in, and wetting the cotton ball with the rubbing alcohol. She then turned around and carted the two items to her, leaving the clipboard behind.

"I... would you mind a small blood test, Miss Cassidy? I know, it's short notice, but... I think I might know what the problem is... But I won't know for certain until I get a sample of your blood." She nodded, tilting her head. Hopefully Cassidy wouldn't mind it. This would be solid proof... and she wouldn't feel so bad about suggesting her thoughts to Cassidy... if she had this evidence.

Cassidy rolled her eyes as Joy walked over to the cabinet. Was it really this much of a mystery..? She just wanted to come in and get a few quick answers... and then be on her way. She didn't feel like waiting another 30 minutes.... just for the quick response she was after.

"Maybe I should just get going. I'm sorry this was a waste of your time..." She slid from the bed... ready to head toward the door.. but then stopped... and paused when Joy turned around with........

".....?" A needle? She blinked. She needed.. a.. blood sample? Oh..... kay.

"Er..... I.... I guess.... there would be... no problem with that...." She lifted herself back onto the bed.... and then removed both of her gloves. Eh.. if it was a blood test she needed.. to figure this out.. who knew what the problem might be. Hopefully it was nothing serious.

"What do you think it might be..?"

Nurse Joy sighed when Cassidy came back to the bed, and waited for her to remove her gloves... before rolling up the sleeve on her right arm and rubbing a bit of skin directly above it with the cotton ball. She then pitched it in the nearby trash can... and gently grabbed Cassidy's arm... lining everything up before sticking her with the needle and drawing back on the lever, extracting blood from a vein. As quickly as it had begun, it was over. Nurse Joy leaned back away from Cassidy now, pulling the needle from the plastic tube... and then headed for the door. Before she had left, however, she paused... when she heard Cassidy's question.

"I'm... not so sure I should say. Yet, anyway. Don't worry, Miss Cassidy... I'm probably... way off. I'm just making sure. Wait here for a few moments, okay? I'll be back with my answer." She said, before pulling the door open and wandering down the hall to find the doctor she was looking for to check the sample for her.

Cassidy waited until Joy was out of the room.. and the door had closed.... before letting out a long sigh. Great.... more waiting. Well whatever Joy thought was going on..... was going to be even MORE of a waste of time.. for both of them. She flopped back onto the bed... and rubbed gently over the bandage on her arm now. Her precious blood... gone for nothing.

"Those stupid nurses are all the same..... They all think they know everything...... and then it's all a big laugh whenever they get something wrong. Meh.. why don't they just stick to Pokemon? Humans aren't their territory........." She spat.

"Useless.. that's all they are. Just a waste of space. They pretend to care... but they're all really fake....... and then they go for the sucker who thinks she wants to join into their world of insanity......" She continued mumbling on..... until after about 10 minutes... she heard the door open. She instantly sat up.. and there was Joy. Although.. she couldn�t quite get a glimpse... into whether the news was good... or bad. This stupid Joy had some kind of eye contact problem. How annoying!!

"So what's the news? Were you right or wrong?" She began... boredly.

Ten minutes had indeed lapsed before Nurse Joy returned to the room... a few papers in hand. She sweatdropped when Cassidy questioned her... and sighed, walking over to her clipboard to begin writing the results down. This wasn't good... She could already tell... that Cassidy did not at all expect this... and that she probably didn't want it, either. And Nurse Joy... knew very well... what would have to happen... when these things were unexpected... and unwanted. Oh how sad... She almost... didn't want to tell her. Not until after it was already too late to do anything about it. But no... she had to. It would be wrong to keep it from her... she had a right to know.

"I was... right." Nurse Joy said, turning around. Though she now faced Cassidy, she certainly couldn't bring herself into eye contact with her. It would be too hard...

"Miss Cassidy... All of your symptoms... and the blood test... well, they all point to one thing..." She cleared her throat a bit before continuing.

"And that thing is..." She sighed. Just get it over with.

"You're... pregnant."

Cassidy listened to Joy speak... becoming more and more bored with everything she had to say. So Joy had been right. Okay.... then out with it. This is what she had come here for, after all. Just to know what in the world she was suffering from every morning. Ah.. here it comes... finally.... she was going to hear.............. the... news..?

"...................................." Every ounce of color... left Cassidy's face. Had... she..... just.... heard....... correctly...? Did...... Joy.... really..... just say... that... she was....... she... was.........

"W-what..?" She squeaked...... tears beginning to come to her eyes... when she heard Joy begin to.. repeat herself. It... couldn't be true. It.. couldn't... no.... this wasn't supposed to.... happen...

"...no...... no.. I can't... be. I just CAN'T be! Joy...... tell me.... y-you're lying....... please..... You've got to be wrong!!!" She burst into tears now.. as everything... became.... clear. That's... what it was. Her nausea.. in the morning..... was.. morning sickness. And.. the changes in her appetite.... and... well.... one other thing she had missed... in the past month.. that she didn't really think too much of. It was.. all true. But WHY?????

"I can't be pregnant!!!!!! It's not fair!!!! I didn't do ANYTHING to deserve this!!!!!! WHY is it happening to me???? H-how could it have... happened..????? It wasn't my fault!!!!" She cried hard.... and fell over onto the bed.. to lay on her side.... sobbing and gasping into the pillow.

Nurse Joy hung her head a bit when Cassidy began reacting... exactly as she knew she would. She simply shook her head.

"I'm sorry... I'm telling the truth..." She uttered as Cassidy began to cry harder... She whimpered a bit as Cassidy fell back onto the bed, curling and crying hard. She slowly... approached the bedside... and set her hand to Cassidy's arm hesitantly.

"It's okay... really... a baby... is a blessing..." She tried to reassure her. But no... this wasn't working. She sighed... Okay, she supposed... she should let her know her options... this was her life, after all... Not Joy's.

"Of course... If you're really just... dead-set against... not having a child... There is a way to get rid of it..." She said VERY quietly... Ugh, she always hated this part...

Cassidy.. just couldn't stop crying. Everything in her life... since her failure in Hoenn...... had gone downhill. She KNEW that Giovanni was still angry at them....... but she took what was to be.. her "punishment". That.. and it had been very difficult to do anything with the amount of pay she and Butch had been receiving now.

"....." Butch.... that's... right. She was going to have to face..... Butch about this. Ugh.. no! Now he'd HAVE to know about the night.. that she and.... Giovanni......... She shuddered.. just thinking about it. This was insane........ How could her life... just keep going from one bad thing.. to another???

".........." She tried to calm down... and sat up.. sniffling.. when Joy offered..... a way out. Heh.... a way... out of this.. mess she was in..? It would... involve... getting rid of this..... this........... baby. It would mean...... killing...... an innocent.... unborn... child. HER child. She couldn't... possibly...... kill..... a baby. But......... if.. she didn't...... her life was going to change..... dramatically. Who KNEW how the Rockets would act toward her now? And what about Giovanni...?

"......" She gulped. Giovanni.... was the reason...... this child.. was coming into existence. Would he..... throw her out? Would he.. make her get rid of the baby anyway? And... and what about.. Butch..? How would he react... to this..? Mmmmf... if only she could kill herself right now...... she would. But.... she just.... couldn't... kill....... a baby.

"I..... I can't....... just.. get rid of it........." She sniffled again.... letting a few heavy tears flow down her cheeks.

Nurse Joy stayed perfectly silent as Cassidy began mulling it over... This decision... of course... was a huge one. It couldn't just be decided in one second.

"..." Joy's ears perked when Cassidy finally... and hesitantly came out with her decision. She sighed heavily... and nodded.

"Thank... goodness. It's a... hard decision, yes. But going through with it..." She sighed.

"You have no idea... how much respect I have for you because of that." She muttered. She then... nodded, walking back over to her clipboard on the desk.

"Um... I'm through now. You're welcome to get back to whatever it was you were doing. Just be sure to... come back every few months so that I can... make sure everything is okay." She said. She then looked to Cassidy's tearstained face quickly...

"Mm... of course, if you need a few more minutes... you're welcome to stay and... gather your bearings. I don't mind." She offered.

Cassidy nodded hesitantly... slipping from the bed. Right... she.. did.. have to get out of here.. and back to... Butch.. so.... that... they could... get ready.... for their mission today. This... was going to be... a very difficult day. Eh.. maybe it was all a nightmare.. and she would wake up soon.

"Thanks... for your help... Joy........" She said softly..... before walking slowly toward the exit. She could feel her knees.. weakening. Well... one thing was for sure... When she woke up this morning.. she CERTAINLY wasn't expecting this! She was... pregnant. She was... going to.. have.... a baby. She was going to have.... Giovanni's........ baby. Her eyes once again filled with tears. How was Butch going to treat her now????? He was probably going to think of her as.. some kind of.. slut.

Ugh!! This day.. was only going to get harder... no doubt about that. But then again.. maybe Butch would be understanding. He always had been.. about everything.. else. But... nothing like THIS had ever happened before!!

****

It was late at night... Around 11. The wind could be heard blowing the trees of Viridian forest outside of their third-story window. Butch had the bedside lamp on, and was hunched over a book about some of the newer Pokemon discoveries... he appeared to be reading it, but he had been on the same page for close to 20 minutes now. He kept glancing over to the bed next to his- Cassidy occupied it. She had been sitting there, staring at the wall for nearly an hour. It was very odd of her to not be speaking of the day, as she so often did. Cassidy seemed to have something to say, be it good or bad, about everything that had ever happened to the two of them. The day had been full of attempted Pokemon stealing... But none were successful. He figured that, for sure, she would have been alive with angst tonight over the misfortunes of the day...

Yet, there she sat... Her face donned the look of worry... concern... She was deep in thought. This state was becoming more and more characteristic of her as of late, Butch thought... Something had to be going on. She was clearly upset... He hoped he hadn't done anything to help this matter along... He noticed her eyes dart over towards him, and his own quickly fell back down towards the book, trying to make themselves seem as innocent and inconspicuous as possible...

Cassidy definitely hadn't been herself, lately. She had been keeping so many secrets from Butch..... and now.. She had just found something else out today. This.. would change her life forever. How... would she tell Butch about it....? No no... she couldn't possibly. She sighed, staring at the wall. This... would be too difficult...... Maybe.. if she fell asleep... she would wake up the next morning.. and find out that all of these horrible events had only been a big nightmare. It had to be.... it couldn't be reality.

She suddenly spotted Butch's glance and blinked. He looked back down..... hmmm... perhaps... her constant sighing was a bit too loud for him.....

�..... Butch..? Um..... How's your book?�

He raised his eyebrows when she spoke his name. He hadn't heard her speak but maybe three times the entire day, so of course, hearing her now was almost like getting a lucky hand in a card game... He hoped that, maybe, if he threw a couple of chips out on a risk, he might get another good draw, and perhaps... win the game?

"It's... boring. I won't lie." He shut it, and tossed it behind him. It landed in the corner with a thump. He yawned, and ran his hands through his bangs, scratching the back of his head for a moment before allowing his arms to rest again.

"So... um... how's your wall?" He asked this, in response to her question.

�If it's so boring.. why have you been reading it all this time? � She laughed nervously, then thought a moment about his response to her question.

�My... wall..? er... oh. It's............ plain.� She let out a long, quiet yawn. This.. had been a big day for her... so she was quite tired. But she ignored it anyway. Perhaps talking to Butch for a while would ease her mind.

�Quite a day we had today.. hm?� She laid back onto her pillow, resting her arms behind her head.

He laughed, and then simply said-

"You find something better to do in this God-forsaken place-" He stopped suddenly, as she began to laugh as well, though her laugh was rather... forced, he thought. He watched her fall back into her pillow... 'Quite a day?' What was this? Usually, she never questioned him about it being good or bad. Usually, she'd tell HIM about how great or horrible it was. At the end of her words, there'd be no inquiry as to how she was feeling. No questions left to be asked... and certainly no survey of feelings on his part before she had had her share. He blinked, and looked off to the side... He'd ignore this for now, but it was just another thing to chalk up...

"Quite... been thinkin' hard about it?" He tested the waters a bit... he hoped to find out exactly why she had been staring into space for hours on end for several weeks now.

She yawned again, then looked toward him, letting out a small smile.

�A bit..... Too bad things didn't go our way today. So.. what do you plan on doing tomorrow?�

He glanced around the room, looking for a spot to focus on... He found the mirror, of course. It was set right in the middle of the room, across the back wall, dead center, between the beds. He could see both of their reflections in it... Mirrors were funny. He could look at himself and Cassidy, at the same time. He could take in the entire room, and note every detail (from the stars twinkling outside the window, to the book he had just thrown in the corner) without really looking at it. He focused on Cassidy's reflection. It was funny... the mirror, instead of conveying the opposite, seemed to have become confused. The Cassidy on this side of the mirror was becoming distant... empty, perhaps. Maybe even a bit surreal... He wondered if the blonde headed girl that he was currently watching in the mirror was alive with anger at that very moment, ranting and raving in her own dimension to her very own aqua-haired partner, as he, himself sat there, confused...

"Tomorrow?" His thoughts were interrupted. What was he doing tomorrow? Spending it with her, no doubt. Didn't she know that by now? She must be losing it...

"Erm... I figured we'd do the same thing we do every day, Cass- try to earn money." He rolled his eyes a bit. He didn't want to seem mean, and purposefully blunt... but, as they say... 'Duh!'

�Money... heh.... Of course. Perhaps... it's time the Boss gives us a raise.� She slid herself under her blanket.

�It's about time we deserved one, don't you agree? We do more than enough for that creep and yet he expects us to live off of the little he gives us?� She sighed, hugging the pillow to her body.

�Heh... Butch.. are you all right? You seem to be... lost in thought?�

He blinked... She was right. They were certainly scraping the bottom of the barrel as of late... They were already living on only two meals instead of three daily... They only paid for things that they ABSOLUTELY needed... And there was no recreation. Just forget it..

"You're right... but where can we go? What kind of place is going to hire a couple of previously convicted criminals? ... I think we're stuck, Cass... Sorry to say it." He sighed, and threw his feet over the edge of the bed. He put his chin in his hand, and stared at the floor... What a depressing subject to accidentally come upon. They really did have nowhere to go. He had originally intended Team Rocket to be a way to test out his ability... to get away from his non-existent previous life. But the organization was like quick sand... The longer he stayed, the harder and harder it would be to find a way out of it. And then to rescue Cassidy too? They were stuck... Whoever said Team Rocket was forever hadn't lied...

"Huh?" He looked over at her... Ironic, her accusing him of being lost in thought? It was quite the opposite... surely she realized this...

"Me? What about you, huh?" He sat up, and smiled. Finally, the subject he had been meaning to address was at hand.

"What's been on your mind lately?"

She suddenly stiffened up, becoming defensive. She was looking at him.... but her expression became glassy.

�On my mind?? Oh nothing nothing. Just..........� The "just" was extremely quiet. Almost a whisper... because as she said it, her feelings took over.. and filled her eyes with tears. She tried her hardest to swallow them back.. and to pretend.. it was something else that had caused her words to stop. She cleared her throat, shaking her head.

�Just things....� She nodded... that.. was a good answer. Wasn't it..?

He raised his eyebrows, with a worried expression. He had done it now... Very rarely did Cassidy cry... But when she did, it was ALWAYS for a good reason... But he couldn't fathom, for the life of him, why today... why NOW was she acting this way. He could see her eyes becoming moist... She was breathing shallowly, trying to keep from letting tears flow... She needed to talk. He could tell. And he was there for her, as he liked to be... He got up slowly, and took a step towards her, and then gently sat on the edge of her bed... He looked her in the eye, concerned. He tried to speak as soothingly as he could (which was, frustratingly, hard. Poor guy). He had his heart open to her, and was ready to take anything she threw at him.

"What... kind of things?"

She sat up and scooted closer to him. She took his hand, sighing. Perhaps... this was the time to tell him.

�Butch.... I.... I guess... there's something I need to tell you....� She stared guiltily at the floor. This was it... no turning back now.

�I..... I found out...... today....�

He watched her as she moved... she seemed so hesitant about everything... even when she took his hand, he could tell. As she spoke, he curled his fingers around hers, gripping her hand tightly. It was obvious that whatever she was about to say was really hard for her... usually, she'd tell him anything... But if she was having a hard time speaking to HIM, then... it must be earth-shaking. This was no post 'fight-with-Jessie' conversation...

"Yes...?"

�I....... I......� Her tears started to come back to her. This was.. more difficult than she ever expected it could be. He would probably hate her now for what she'd done. This time, she let her tears fall.. as she fell into him, hugging him tightly, crying very hard into his shoulder.

He opened his eyes rather widely at this... it was kind of a shock to him... She had never cried this much... this hard. She had never gone so long, being silent, without telling him anything... She had been bottled up for so long... And now he was witnessing it as it came gushing forth... Slowly, and as gingerly as possible, he put his arms around her, and held her as she sobbed. He rubbed her back... She was shaking now...

"Shhh... shhh... it's okay... it's okay..." He kept saying, hoping it would calm her down.

She continued to cry. This was definitely not okay... but she couldn't drag it out any longer. It was already out in the open.. she had to finish it..... no matter.. what might happen.

�I.... I'm....� She took a deep breath.. and tried relaxing into him as much as she could.... to hold onto him... one last time... before.... he would go.

�I'm..... pregnant....�

He froze. The sound of shattering glass could be heard all around him... He glanced around the room feverishly, wondering what had broken... But everything was fine. The sound was purely fictional... Only he had heard it. Odd... Anyway, back to what she had just said- pregnant? Cassidy? No way... He and Cassidy had never... She wouldn't ever... She didn't even really know anyone, aside from him. This wasn't right. It had to be a joke. She HAD been known to throw an odd bit of information at him now and then, just to see if he'd bite. She was clearly fooling with him... wow, what a convincing act... Had this been a movie, she would have definitely walked out of it with an award for best actress...

"Haha... nice one Cass." He said lamely. He sweatdropped... This was insane...

She looked up at him and blinked, confused.

�Nice.. one?� Did he... think she was making this up?

�Butch... I.... w-what?� She blinked again, even more confused. She had expected much more than.. this. She wasn't quite sure what to do now.

He laughed. He raised an eyebrow, and smiled down at her.

"You can stop now. I know your secret... you wanted to see if you could trip me up... you've been planning it for a while now, huh? You've been staring at the wall for the past few hours, trying to get into a totally solemn mood, so that way you could cry to make it all-the-more-convincing... I know you, Cass. I know you like to throw me a curve-ball now and then."

He winked at her... He was so sure he was right. What he had just said may have come off entirely crude, but he meant it light-heartedly. There was no doubt in his mind that she was playing with him... And she had him going for quite a while, too. She was a tricky partner, at times. How clever.

�You.. don't believe me then? But.... I'm serious. I.. I just found out today...� How could he not believe her with something like this? She would never go this far into trying to trick him. She would never get this upset over something either.

�Huh.....�

He tilted his head a bit... Okay, he'd bite. If she was going to be this persistent, then he might as well find out the rest of the details of her little joke that she had yet to include.

"Alrighty then... who is the father?" He raised his eyebrows. He couldn't wait to hear the answer for this one.

The question ripped through her sharply. She had forgotten about that detail. Great........ now how would she explain herself?

�I-it's......� She bit her lip. Wow.... this was tough. She loved Butch....... she... didn't want to see him hurt...

�It's.. Giovanni...�

He snorted when he heard the name pass through Cassidy's lips... Giovanni. The guy she had been bad-mouthing only a few moments ago? Yeah, that was convincing. He began shaking with laughter.

"Ohhhhhh Cass, you're a riot. You really are." He wiped a tear of laugher away from his right eye.

�........� She slipped away from him and laid herself back down... hugging the pillow to herself again. He really thought she was joking...... Well... perhaps... she could... end up making him seem right. She had heard earlier, from Nurse Joy... that the Rockets had some way of taking care of... unexpected pregnancies. But... she couldn't possibly sink to that level. No no.. she had to wipe that thought out of her mind.

�Eh.. heh heh......�

He smiled. He was so full of himself for catching this 'joke' that he couldn't see how distressed she really was at the moment. He laughed once more, and then stood. He stretched and yawned, and then leaned over her quickly, pecking her on the cheek with a good-night kiss, just to convey to her that there were 'no hard feelings.'

"I guess we better hit the sack. It's getting late." He pulled her covers up over her, and patted her back, before retreating to his own bed.

"I'll see you bright and early tomorrow... so we can go out and try another hand at our job... for our boss.... .... also known as your baby's daddy." He laughed again, shook his head, and then finally got under his own covers. He clapped twice, and the light distinguished itself.

She laid back in bed and closed her eyes. She had a very hard time getting to sleep, of course. There was just.. too much to think about. But eventually, she did fall into a peaceful slumber.

[ On to Chapter 2! ]