=Author's Note=
	I fell in love with the idea of the motley trio impersonating Team Rocket after I saw the Duplica 
episode.  I merely decided to expand on a good idea.  Am I stealing the plot?  Probably.  Still, I thought it 
was a fun story.  Enjoy!

=Legal Disclaimer=
	Pok‚mon, its characters, locations and all other associated literary and fictitious holdings are not 
owned by me.  Any legal action taken against me will probably cost more than it would result in, so I 
wouldn't waste my time or my money if I were you.


BadgeQuest #3
Blastoff to Disaster

	"You won't get away, twerp!" Jessie howled as Arbok shot forward.
	
	Ash, his hat turned around in its usual battle position, shot back, "I'm not going anywhere!"  
Pikachu made a run for Arbok with sparks flying from its cheeks.  The trainer looked around nervously as 
a crowd began to form around them.  Out here in the middle of the street, it was important that no one get 
caught up in their battle; the last thing they needed to worry about was hurting someone with their attacks.

	The Pok‚mon locked in battle, spark and poison sting flying every which way.

	"Arbok, wrap!" Jessie commanded.

	As Arbok began to squeeze the life out of Pikachu, Ash ordered, "Pikachu, Thunder now!"

	Thunder.  Pikachu's most devastating attack.  It was risky with all the people standing around, 
but Ash wanted Arbok done with one hit.  The sky lit up as a solid column of electricity poured down 
upon Pikachu and Arbok.  Pikachu was fine, naturally; when your own body produces electricity, even the 
highest amounts of voltage can't harm you.  Arbok, however, wasn't as fine.  The snake screeched and fell 
down, completely drained of hit-points.

	Misty was having an equal amount of success with James and his Weezing.  "Starmie, Hydro 
Pump that Weezing outta here!  Starmie, Misty's nova-shaped water Pok‚mon, floated high in the air and 
sprayed the multi-headed set of orbs.  Weezing was driven back into a store window.  Glass sprayed 
everywhere, causing people to run in panic.  

	Brock and Onix charged Meowth, who was trying to get a rubber net in place to capture Pikachu.  
The Rock trainer frowned; if people started to panic, there could be a stampede, even a riot.  "Onix, Rock 
Throw!"

	Onix dug his mouth into the street and ripped up a huge chunk of asphalt.  He chucked it at 
Meowth.  The cat Pok‚mon was about to launch his net when he noticed a large shadow blocking his 
light.  He looked up just in time to see the large boulder of street squash him from above.  "That's one 
down!" Brock called out to his friends.

	"Make that two!" Ash called back.  Jessie lay on top of her Arbok, equally as charred; she had 
made the mistake of trying to grab Pikachu without the aid of rubber gloves.

	"And Misty's makes three." their aquatic friend hollered.  James and Weezing were unconscious 
on the ground, both sopping wet.

	"No blasting off for these guys." Dexter quipped from inside Ash's jacket.
*		*		*

	New Soho Island had a fairly nice prison, as far as Ash could tell.  He had been in a few prisons 
on Pok‚mon Island, but these were a lot better...at least from this side of the bars.  Jessie, James and 
Meowth didn't seem to like them as well.

	"Well, it's good to finally see these guys behind bars." Brock said with his arms folded.  "It's 
about time, too."

	"I'll say," Misty chimed in.  She leaned up close to the bars.  "Is there anything we can do to 
make your stay more enjoyable?" she gloated to the captured Rockets.

	James perked up.  "Actually, some mineral water might be nice."  Jessie smacked him on the 
head and Meowth dug his claws into James's leg.  "Ow!"

	"Quiet, fool." Jessie snapped.  She leered at Misty.  "We don't need anything from these twerps."

	Meowth shook a claw at the Trio.  "Thanks to you kids, we'll miss our rendezvous with the other 
Rockets and-" Jessie and James clamped their hands over Meowth's extraordinarily sized mouth.

	"Stop blowing our secrets!" James hollered.

	Brock frowned.  "Rendezvous?  With other Team Rocket members?"  He rubbed his chin 
thoughtfully.  "That can't be good."

	Ash nodded in agreement.  "Where's this meeting?" he demanded.

	"And what's going to happen there?" Misty chimed in.

	Pikachu sparked and demanded information in its own limited vocabulary.

	"Maybe these will help."  Officer Jenny, the policewoman who had made the arrest on Team 
Rocket (and had nearly arrested Ash, Misty and Brock to boot) walked in holding up pieces of paper.  "We 
confiscated them from these three when we made the arrest."  She handed them to Brock's outstretched 
hand.  "I think they're tickets of some kind."

	It was lucky for Brock that this Jenny was a plain-looking woman; had she been beautiful, he 
would have been incapacitated with dreamy-eyed lust, as he almost always was.  "They look like plane 
tickets...Giovanni Airways, 5:00 tomorrow for Mount Moon airport."  He looked at James.  "You were 
returning to the island.  Why?"

	"We'll never tell you!" James insisted.

	"That way you'll never help out the Laramie girl!" Meowth snickered, then slapped his hand over 
his own mouth.  "Oh no!"

	"Laramie?  Laura Laramie?" Ash said.  "The papers said she went on a training trip a week ago."

	Jessie smiled.  "That was just a ruse.  Team Rocket will use her to take all of the Big P Ranch's 
Pok‚mon and resources."

	Misty frowned.  "We can't let them get away with this!"  Pikachu meanwhile was yelling at Team 
Rocket for their fiendish plot, shaking its tiny, clawed fists and bearing its razor-sharp fangs.  "We have to 
rescue her."

	"No." Brock said.  "The instant they know we're coming, they'll turn tail and run, move them to 
somewhere we can't get at her."

	"We have their plane tickets." Ash said.  "We can use those to get there before they know it."

	Misty glared at Ash.  "Giovanni Airways is a private charter service Ash!  They'll be expecting 
Jessie, James and Meowth."  She pointed to the names on the tickets.

	Brock pondered the problem for a minute while Misty and Ash had one of their larger fights.  
Then he turned again to James.  "Do they know what you look like?" he asked.

	"Well...no.  I mean, we don't exactly have IDs in Team Rocket, besides the incredibly fashionable 
uniforms."  He looked down at the 'R' on his chest.  "Say, when is laundry day here?  My jacket is getting 
gray and soiled."

	"Sounds like you have an idea, young man." Officer Jenny said.

	The Rock grinned.  "We will use these tickets."

	Ash and Misty stopped their fighting.  "Uh, Brock, have you lost it?"

	"Yeah.  We aren't Team Rocket."

	Brock had a glimmer in his squinty eyes.  "They won't know that."  His friends stared at him, 
dumbfounded.  In the meantime Brock turned to Jenny.  "I need you to contact Pewter City officials for 
me; if we're going to Mt. Moon, we'll need their help on this one."  The policewoman nodded.

	"But Brock-" his friends said in unison.

	"Okay guys, here's the plan..."
*		*		*

	Brock finished with the special hair dye and checked in the hotel mirror; his hair was now a 
horrifying electric blue.  Whoever was meeting them may not know exactly what Jessie and James looked 
like, but they probably had a general description of them.  He turned his head; not pretty, but effective.  
Next he got out the custom-fit uniform; once he had laid out his plan to Officer Jenny, she had been more 
than willing to give him the resources he needed, though she didn't like the idea of a couple of kids doing 
this.  There was no one, however, that knew enough about Pok‚mon or Team Rocket in either this 
department or the one in Pewter City to pull this operation.  It would have to be them.

	Someone was knocking on the door.  "C'mon in!" he called.

	Misty walked in.  She was attired in her own Team Rocket uniform, tugging at it uncomfortably.  
It revealed a bit much of her slim, attractive figure, more then she would have cared for it to.  To add 
insult to injury, her orange-red hair had been died a comical fire engine red.  "How do I look?" she said, 
twirling once.

	He looked her over.  "Not bad for a villain."  The both smiled.  It might be fun playacting Team 
Rocket.  "So where's Ash?"

	"Dunno, I haven't seen him since he left.  Hasn't he gotten back ye-"

	The heavy pounding on the door interrupted Misty.  She turned around and opened it, then had to 
stifle a laugh.  "Hi Ash." she said with a choked snicker.

	He too wore a Team Rocket uniform...but that was the end of their similarities.  He was hatless, 
and his semi-long hair was bleached white.  He wore heavy combat boots and a big, gaudy knife on his 
belt.  His cheek sported a picture of a smiling Meowth's head.  "This is a stupid plan, Brock.  How am I 
supposed to pull off Meowth like this?"  He gestured down at himself.  Pikachu followed in behind its 
trainer, trying not to split a gut laughing.

	Brock smiled.  "Now Ash, we don't exactly have a talking Meowth on hand."

	"Not one that's on our side, anyway." Misty added.

	"So, we'll make due; you'll be a rough-and-ready soldier who got the nickname Meowth because 
of that 'tattoo' on your face."

	Ash ran a thumb over the Meowth head on his face without fear of smudging it; it was a semi-
permanent paint, and wouldn't come off without a solvent and a lot of scrubbing.  "But why do I have to 
be Meowth?"

	Misty grinned, still trying to hold in her laughter.  "Well, I can't very well play Meowth.  I mean, 
someone has to be Jessie, and I don't think either of you two is 'built' for the job."  She ran a hand over her 
figure.

	"And it was my idea.  Besides," Brock stood up, "I'm bigger and stronger than you, and therefore 
can make you do what I want."  He winked at Misty, an action that had little meaning considering how 
open his eye was to begin with.  "It can't be that bad."

	"Oh no?"  He turned around to show them a small strip of white cloth protruding from the back 
of his pants.  "My uniform has a tail.  Look at this and tell me how not bad it is."

	Misty couldn't hold it in any longer, and collapsed on the bed with laughter.  Pikachu joined in, 
rolling on the floor and pointing with a clawed finger.  Brock remained under control, but just barely.  "I 
suggested it; I thought it added character."

	"Brock, it's a tail on my uniform."

	Misty was getting tears in her eyes, she was laughing so hard.  "It's-a very good look-for you." 
she said between laughs and deep breaths.

	"It's a tail...on my uniform."

	Brock looked at his watch.  "We'd better get going."  He started for the door and tugged on Ash's 
'tail.'  "C'mon Meowth, get your tail in gear."

	"It's a tail...on my uniform." he said through gritted teeth.  Misty followed, laughing.
*		*		*

	"You the three special agents sent to help us?" their greeter asked.
	Brock nodded, stretching his aching muscles.  He preferred walking to plane trips by far.  "That's 
us." he said.

	The Rocket nodded and pointed to a van.
	"Where's the limo?" Ash growled, cracking his knuckles.
	Brock smiled.  Ash had channeled his rage into getting his character down pretty well.

	The Rocket gave Ash a funny look.  "I'm guessing you're Meowth?"

	"You seen anyone else to fit the description?"

	He opened the door for the trio, eyeing Ash's 'tattoo'.  "No, I just assumed that it would be an 
actual Meowth..."

	"Guess again."

	He shrugged.  "The name's Blazer." he said.  "You need anything, you let me know."

	The ride from the private airfield to Mount Moon was fairly quiet, as well as short.  Misty 
appreciated the scenery; it was a nice change from the inside of a plane, or the oppressive landscape of a 
city.  Brock...'James' and Blazer seemed engrossed on some topic of training.  Thanks to Brock's fast 
talking, no one save Misty noticed Ash-Meowth slip a small yellow rodent, a very small egg-like shape 
and an even smaller red device into the back of the truck.  Ash gave her a conspiratorial wink and turned 
to face the front once more.

	"So, I hear you guys got a really mean set of Poison Pok‚mon." Blazer said, trying to make 
conversation.

	"Traded them in." Ash said.

	Blazer raised an eyebrow.

	"We're trying out some new ones.  Just stole them last week." Brock quickly explained.

	Blazer nodded and grinned.  "That's the Team Rocket way."
*		*		*

	The cavern inside Mt. Moon was bigger than any cave they had seen before; you could fit an 
entire amusement park in it and still have room for three Pok‚mon centers, and a gym to boot.  That 
wasn't what surprised them, though.  What really took them by shock was the sheer number of Rockets 
running around.  It was a small army of them!
Brock was the first to speak.  "I didn't think it would take this many of us..."

	"Are you kidding?" Blazer laughed, "For an operation this big the Boss wanted to make sure that 
nothing went wrong.  You should have seen the Silph Co. operation a few years back; that was something 
else, let me tell you."
Ash nodded.  He had been one of the people who had broken up the Silph takeover...and almost failed.  
Hopefully, things here would run more smoothly.  

	"Your partner?" he asked in a gruff voice, trying desperately to stay in character.

	"Yeah.  There she is now."  He flagged someone on the east side of the cavern down by waving.  
A young woman in a Team Rocket uniform went over to join them.

	"Hi Blazer.  What's up?"

	"Oh no." Ash murmured.  Misty gaped in shock.  And Brock...

	Brock went into Joyshock.

	"Joy, I want you to meet Jessie, James and Meowth; they're the field agents the 

	Boss sent to help us with the Big P project."

	Joy smirked and nodded.  "We've heard a lot about you three."  Then she looked at Ash funny.  
"Aren't you supposed to be a real Meowth?"

	"I get that a lot." Ash mumbled.

	Brock was still babbling to himself.  Joy looked annoyed.  "What's with him?"

	Ash and Misty grabbed Brock by the shoulders.  "Excuse us for one second." Misty asked them.  
Together she and Ash dragged their paralyzed friend over to a corner where they wouldn't be heard.

	"Brock, get it together!" Ash shook him.

	"I can't believe it...a Nurse Joy in Team Rocket." Misty shook her head.

	"She didn't look like a nurse to me." Ash risked a glance over his shoulder.  Blazer and Joy were 
whispering to each other and taking looks of their own at the three of them.

	"She looks beautiful." Brock said with glazed squints.

	Misty shoved Ash out of the way and began shaking their friend herself, only harder.  "Now look 
Brock," she growled through gritted teeth, "If you blow our cover because of some stupid crush on an 
entire family, we're done for; Team Rocket isn't the type to forgive and forget, especially with people that 
they've been after for half a decade!  And if they don't kill you, I WILL!"

	Brock shook his head regaining control of himself.  "You're right.  We're here to save Laura."

	Ash patted him on the shoulder.  "Think you can control your Joyshock?"

	Brock heaved a sigh and nodded.  "Yeah, I'll keep it together."  He stood up tall and marched 
back towards Blazer and Joy with Ash and Misty in tow.  "So, what's first?" he asked in a haughty, 
arrogant manner.

	"Well, we thought you'd like to get settled in, but it doesn't look like you have any luggage," 
Blazer said, "Say, we hear you guys do a really mean team motto!"

	"Team motto?" They all asked in unison.

	"Yeah, you know." Joy said, pantomiming, "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light...?"

	"Oh, right, the motto." Ash said.

	They all stood there for a moment.

	"Well?" Blazer asked.

	Misty sighed.  They had been prepared for this, but she had hoped that they could skip this part 
of the plan.  "Right."  She pulled a few smoke bombs out of her jacket.  Ash and Brock did the same.  
Together, they threw the small spheres onto the ground.

	The area quickly filled with a blue haze, almost completely eliminating visibility.  Only their 
silhouettes could be seen.  "You're on." Brock whispered to Misty.

	She nodded and threw back her shoulders.  "To protect the world from devastation!"

	"To unite all peoples within our nation!" Brock hollered, jumping up on a boulder.  Misty 
scrambled after him.

	"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"  She tried mimicking the movements she had seen 
Jessie do a million times; it was harder than it looked!  She managed to pull several muscles in her back, 
sending a twinge down her spine.

	"To extend our reach to the stars above!"  Brock pulled out a rose with an "Ow!"; he had pricked 
his finger on a thorn.  Being Team Rocket was proving to be more difficult and humiliating than they had 
thought.

	"Jessie!"

	"James!"

	As the smoke cleared, they prepared for their finale.  "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of 
light!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

	"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

	There was a long pause.

	"Ash." Misty hissed as softly as she could, "Get out here now!"  She prayed that no one could 
hear them.

	"Fine," he hissed back.  He muttered several choice words that she couldn't make out, then 
popped out with his dagger and said in a high-pitched voice, "Meowth, that's right!"  His Meowth 
impression was beyond terrible; she didn't know whether to cry or burst out laughing.

	The entire cavern was silent for a split second, then it burst out in cheering.  Misty got down 
from the boulder, wiping a thin sheen of nervous sweat from her forehead.

	Blazer applauded as things began to settle down.  "Bravo." his raspy voice complimented, 
"Magnificent.  Now, what say we get to work?"

	"Right." Joy agreed.  She looked at Ash and Misty.  "Why don't you take Jessie and Meowth and 
help herd some of those flying types coming in through the east tunnel, Blazer."  She batted her eyes at 
Brock.  "I'll take James here and head over to the northwest tunnel.  There are some fire types coming in 
an hour." 

	As Blazer led them away, Misty took one last look at Brock as Joy led him away.  She was 
chattering away with the Rock Master, holding his hand.  Brock's other hand was curled in a fist, and 
shaking pretty badly.  Misty shook her head sadly; flirting with a Joy was going to be an immense strain 
on Brock's control.  She hoped he could handle it.
*		*		*

	"Knight to A5, take Black's Queen." Dexter said.  "Checkmate, I win again!"

	Pikachu looked at the digital chessboard on Dexter's screen with a sour look.

	"Ah, cheer up Mighty Mouse," Dexter said, "Most rats can't even play chess, much less beat a 
master like myself."  The Pok‚dex then displayed his victory dance on the screen.  "That makes fifteen 
games in a row!"

	Pikachu lit up the small tunnel with electricity as he gave Dexter a well-deserved shock.  "Pika-
pi-cha!

	Dexter buzzed for a second, then regained electrical equilibrium.  "Hey, no need to be a sore 
loser!  Tell him, Togepi."

	Togepi was much more interested in what was down the dark tunnel, which meant that Pikachu 
had to keep an eye on him constantly.  The electric mouse herded Togepi back towards Dexter in an 
attempt to keep them all together.  Between his egglike friend and Ash's obnoxious Pok‚dex, Pikachu's 
nerves were beginning to run thin.  He would have tried to turn Dexter off or, failing that, short him out, 
but without Dexter Ash's rescue signal would never reach them.  And if they didn't get the signal, Dexter 
couldn't relay it to Officer Jenny of the Pewter City Police, who was waiting with a full containment 
squad.

	"So Pikachu, you want to try your claw at Checkers?" the Pok‚dex asked hopefully.

	Pikachu sighed, and prayed that Ash would send the signal soon.
*		*		*

	The chamber was packed full of Bird Pok‚mon, all squawking and flapping around.  Pidgeys, 
Spearows, a Farfetch'd here and there...you name it, it was there.  Ash turned to Blazer.  "So what, we just 
lead them into cages?"

	Blazer guffawed.  "Very funny."  He pulled a Pok‚ball from his jacket and activated it.  
"Charmeleon, I choose you!" he tossed the ball.

	Out popped a large lizard with a burning tail.  Ash knew the Pok‚mon well; he had owned a 
Charmeleon himself before it evolved.  "Come on, call you your Pok‚mon...we need to drain a few hit-
points out of these guys before we can get them into Pok‚balls."  He pointed up at the ceiling of the cave.  
"Charmeleon, Flamethrower!"  His reptilian comrade complied, throwing columns of flame up high 
above.

	Ash and Misty shared a glance, then called out their own; Ash chose Pidgeot, while Misty took 
her Starmie.  Ash could have used a Fire type like Blazer, but Charizard was barely controllable as it 
was...make it do something as awful as this and it would go berserk.

	"Pidgeot, Quick Attack as many of them as you can!" Ash shouted.  The bird gave him a curious 
stare, then looked up at the targets.  Then it frowned at Ash.  "You heard me!" he shouted.  He was 
feeling worse by the minute.  Pidgeot gave him one last glare and then took off with a roar of wind.

	Misty was having similar problems with Starmie.  The Water Star's jewel turned a flaming red, 
expressing its anger.  "Don't look at me like that, just go!" Misty hollered and pointed.  It wavered, but 
obeyed.

	Blazer was laughing, watching all of the birds drop from the air into the waiting arms of other 
Rockets.  The other teams began transferring the fallen Pok‚mon to Pok‚balls.  "Aint' this fun, guys?" he 
asked them.

	"Yeah, fun." Ash murmured.  He was trying his best to blink back tears of anger and sadness.  He 
looked over at Misty, who was even more upset than he was.  "Lots of fun." he said again.

	"And after this, we got a group of Ground types coming through."  He grinned.  "Team Rocket'll 
really blast off this time."

	"Go team." Misty whispered hoarsely.
*		*		*

	"So, James, are you and Jessie...?" Joy asked coyly.

	"Huh?  Oh, no, we're, uh, just partners." Brock tried not to focus on the squeals of agony from all 
of the Ponyta, Rapidash and the other Fire types Onix was herding rather roughly through the tunnel.

	Joy smiled.  "Ah, I see.  She and Meowth make a cute couple."

	Despite himself, Brock chuckled.  "Yeah, they do.  Only problem is, neither of them realizes it, 
but they both feel it. It drives them nuts."  Then he laughed.  "It drives me nuts too."

	Joy laughed with him.  "I can imagine.  That Jessie sounds like she has a real killer set of pipes 
in her...and that Meowth doesn't look like the type to get along with easy."

	"They're a real handful all right."

	Joy became serious.  "Doesn't it bother you that you're always beaten by a bunch of teenagers 
though?"

	Brock was caught off guard by this one.  "Uh, not at all."

	"But it must be humiliating...not to mention the Boss's lack of faith in you three."

	Brock was sweating now.  "Well, you know, uh...those kids are a lot tougher than they look." he 
came up with at last.  "I mean, they're a real group of trainers.  Especially that older one!"  He saw Joy 
giving him an odd look.  "But, uh...We'll get those brats someday!"  He clenched his fist, figuring that it 
was a James-like gesture.

	Joy smiled softly.  "I believe you."  She turned her attention back to her Machoke, who was 
Karate Chopping a group of Charmanders.  "I don't suppose you'd like to head down to the Recreation 
Tent once we're through here?  We have a soda bar set up, along with a couple of arcade games."

	"I'd like that."  Brock suddenly remembered just why they had come here.  "Uh, I don't suppose 
you know where they're keeping those, uh, fools from the Big P ranch, do you?"

	Joy frowned, confused.  "They're in the holding chamber in the northern tunnel.  Why?"

	"I was kind of hoping we could see them.  Uh, along with Jessie and Meowth, of course."

	She nodded.  "Sure, I can take you there once we're finished here."
*		*		*

	"What a dump," Ash thought.

	The holding chamber was little more than a damp, dirty little hole carved into the side of the 
main part of the northern chamber.  It was barely big enough for all one hundred of the Big P ranchers.  
Blazer had opted to head for the Rec Tent without them, which left Ash, Misty and Brock with Joy.  The 
ranchers gave them hard, cold stares as they passed them.  Finally, Joy managed to spot Laura among 
them.  "That's the one you wanted to see?" Joy asked.

	Brock nodded and started to step forward, but Ash beat him to the draw; his young friend shot 
forward and swaggered up to the famous Breeder.

	"So this is the famous Laura Laramie?"  Ash scoffed, trying to keep in character.  "I expected you 
to be more."

	Laura looked at him funny for a second.  Then her eyes went wide.  "Ash?  What-"

	Ash clapped a hand over her mouth.  "Quiet!  If I wanted you to say something, I would have told 
you what to say." he snarled.  Their eyes met briefly.  "Now, don't speak."  He slowly lifted his hand off of 
her mouth; she kept quiet.

	"It must be just awful being kept from your work like this." Misty said sarcastically.  What she 
was really asking was, *How well are you holding up?*

	Laura nodded slowly, catching on.  "It's been pretty rough...I hope me and my people haven't 
been poor guests." Her southern drawl took on a sarcastic quality.

	"Don't worry...soon, it'll all be over." Brock said as menacingly as he could.  *We'll get you out 
as soon as we can.*

	Again, Laura nodded.  "I'd like to see you get away with it." she said.  *Good luck, Pard'ners.*
*		*		*
0
	"Here it is; the only source of entertainment within twenty miles."  Joy swept a hand over the 
meager Recreation Tent.  It was noisy, smoky, and it had an unpleasant odor about it.

	"Looks great." Brock said.

	Misty had been almost totally quiet ever since they had left the holding chamber.  "Excuse me a 
minute...I need to fix my makeup." she said softly, disappearing behind a natural rock formation in the 
cave.  Ash started after her, then stopped, uncertain.

	Brock nudged him.  "Go after her." he whispered softly.

	"Why me?" Ash whispered back.

	"Because I have a live one right here," Brock uttered, tilting his head back at Joy.  "Besides, I'm 
not the one still in love with her."

	"Still in love with her?" he hissed, "Are you crazy?  Don't you remember, I was the one that 
broke it off!"

	"Whatever."  Brock offered his arm to Joy, who took it gladly.  They started off together.  Ash 
hung back as Joy and Brock entered the Rec Tent.  At the moment, he had a pounding headache and a 
guilty conscience.  The only thing he hated more than Team Rocket was what they did; abuse Pok‚mon 
for their own uses.  Taking part in it all made him sick to his stomach.  He looked around for Misty, but 
couldn't spot her.  Then he heard soft sniffling coming from behind a rather large boulder.

	He found Misty sitting behind the boulder with her knees drawn up to her chest.  "Hey, you 
okay?" he asked.

	She wiped her eyes hastily and scowled.  "I'm fine."  Her gaze dropped to the floor.  "Just fine."

	He sat down next to her.  "Okay.  Just wondering."  Experience had taught him that pressuring 
Misty to tell him something she didn't want to talk about got him a cold shoulder and a lump on the head.  
If she wanted to talk about something, she would do it when she was good and-

	"This whole thing is getting to me, Ash."

	Bingo.

	"What do you mean?" he asked.  She had started crying softly again.

	"I mean this!" she pointed at her Rocket uniform.  "This whole stupid idea.  Hurting those poor 
Pok‚mon.  I don't know how much longer I can take it.  I'm afraid that they'll find out who we really are if 
I say the wrong thing, or don't know something, or do something wrong."  She looked at him.  "Aren't you 
afraid?"

	"Me?  Ha!  I'm not afraid of anything." he said confidently.  Her steely stare quickly put a stop to 
his egotism.  "Of course I'm afraid!"  He took her hand.  "We just have to tough it out now...It's almost 
over."

	She sniffed and wiped her eyes.  "Thanks Ash."  Then she cleared her throat.  "Don't you think 
it's time to signal for the cavalry?"

	He drew out a small transmitter from his jacket.  "You read my mind."  He thumbed the button.  
"Come on, let's grab 'James' and head for the south entrance.  The Pewter City Police will be here in an 
hour, and they might need help."
*		*		*

	Dexter's circuits were all but fried after a one-on-one Pong tournament with Pikachu.  "I wish 
you wouldn't be such a bad sport Danger Mouse," Dexter said, "I don't know if my circuits can take much 
more..."

	Suddenly, its indicator light flashed on his display panel.  "Whoops, that's the signal!" it cried.  
The Pok‚dex's communication equipment instantly relayed the message to the Pewter City Police.  "Time 
to go, Thunderboy."

	Pikachu picked Dexter up and called after Togepi.  The egg Pok‚mon followed after it, a change 
from its usual free-spirited attitude.  "Priiiii!" it chirped.  Together they moved on towards Ash's position; 
it was about time for a well-timed rescue.
*		*		*

	"What are you guys doing?" Blazer laughed.

	Brock scratched the back of his neck and looked around; he, Misty and Ash had been standing at 
the south tunnel entrance, waiting for someone or something in the form of help to come along.  "Oh, 
just...admiring the scenery."

	Both Blazer and Joy turned around to stare at the ugly brown wall behind them.  "You're kidding, 
right?" Joy asked them.

	Blazer gave them a critical eye.  "You two have been acting awfully strange all of a sudden." he 
drawled.

	Before any of them could respond, the lighting flashed and a loud siren began blaring.  Ash, 
Misty and Brock looked around, totally clueless.  Joy and Blazer looked panicked.  "What's going on?" Joy 
shouted above the din.

	"It's the alarm.  The cops must've found us out!" Blazer shouted back.

	"Yes!" Ash cried, then covered his hand with his mouth.

	"What?" Joy's eyes were wide.

	Blazer's face became red.  "So that's it!  You three are spies!"  He tore a Pok‚ball off of his belt.

	The three backed up towards the wall behind them.  "Nice going, Ash." Misty punched him in 
the arm.  "Just when I thought we were going to make it out of this without dying, too."

	"Sorry." he muttered.
	
	Joy stared helplessly at Brock.  "You're a spy?" she said in disbelief.  Tears welled up in the 
corners of her eyes.  She ran down the hall as fast as she could.  Blazer was still there, fuming.

	Brock's head swiveled between Joy's receding form and Blazer's puffing red face.  He was torn 
between helping his friends and chasing after the girl he loved...well, the girl he had a shot with, anyway.

	"Don't just stand there you blockhead, go after her!" Misty shouted at him.

	Ash nodded his agreement.  "We'll take care of Blazer boy over there."  He smiled.

	Brock frowned, puzzled.  Ash and Misty had not once taken his infatuation with Nurse(s) Joy 
seriously.  He grinned at them, then took off running.

	Ash and Misty turned their attention to Blazer.  "Let's do this!" the Rocket shouted.  He threw his 
Pok‚ball.  It spit out a fearsome-looking Magmar.
Ash backed up against the wall hesitantly.  Magmars had a horrible habit of being too strong for even 
water types.  He was about to try Wartortle when he heard a thumping overhead.  "What the?"

	"Is that the Police?" Misty asked, her voice filled with hope.
He ceiling of the cave above Blazer and his Magmar collapsed.  Ash coughed, waving his hand through 
the dust.

	"I told you not to take that left turn, but would you listen?  Nooooo, you always have to be in 
charge, Mr. 'Look at me, I have legs'." Dexter's synthetic voice pierced the haze.  Pikachu shouted angrily 
at the red box with its limited choice of words, shaking it with fury.  Togepi simply sat on Blazer's head, 
cooing pleasantly.
*		*		*
	
	"Joy!" Brock shouted.  She was keeping the distance between them; man, was she fast!  "Joy, 
wait!"  She disappeared around a corner.

	When he rounded the bend, Joy's Machoke was there, waiting for him.  He caught Brock with a 
punch to the stomach.  He doubled over, desperately trying to suck air back into his lungs.

	"Get away from me!" she shouted.

	"Joy, wait..." he croaked.

	"Why?" she squeaked, "What have I got left?  Even if the police doesn't catch me, I'll be 
humiliated within the organization."  She shoved him into a tunnel wall.  "You lied to me!  I finally meet 
a guy I like, and he's Johnny Law!"

	"L-like?" he wheezed.

	Despite herself, she smiled.  "Yeah, liked..." She became enraged again.  "Before he turned on 
me!  Now my life is over!"  She whirled around and ordered, 
"Machoke!  Submission!"

	Machoke was advancing rapidly; Brock didn't have a lot of time...but he didn't have a lot of 
ideas, either.  He reacted purely from heart.  "I love you."

	"Machoke, stop!"  She looked him in the eye.  "Why should I believe you?"

	"Because it's true."

	She wavered for just a second.  She started to speak, but was interrupted when Ash and Misty 
called out Brock's name.  Brock turned to see his friends dragging the unconscious form of Blazer down 
the corridor, trying to reach him in time.  He turned back to face Joy, but she was already gone; 
disappeared.  He dragged himself up onto his feet, coughing.

	"You okay, Brock?" Ash asked.  He dumped Blazer on the floor.

	"What happened?" Misty asked.  Concern filled her eyes as she helped Brock to stand.

	He looked down the corridor, hoping to spot Joy.  "No, everything's fine..." He couldn't see a 
trace of her.  "Just fine."
*		*		*

	"A big thanks to you three for helping to rescue the Big P ranch." Officer Jenny congratulated the 
young trainers.

	"Hey, what about the cavalry?  Don't we get some of the credit?" Dexter protested.  Ash promptly 
turned the Pok‚dex off.

	Jenny continued.  "Unfortunately, I received word that Jessie, James and Meowth escaped from 
prison on New Soho Island."  Ash, Misty and Brock groaned; it was a sure bet that they would be seeing 
them very, very soon.

	Laura snagged them into a group hug that nearly snapped their vertebrate.  "Mah heroes!  You 
need anything, me and the boys'll be there for you!"

	Ash smiled.  "Uh, no problem.  Though it'll be tough getting a flight out of here."

	"No trouble at all." Jenny assured them, "We have a Police helicopter waiting to fly you out of 
here at the airfield."  She grinned.  "It's our way of saying 'thank you' for all your hard work."

	They all began walking to the jeep.  Brock saw something out of the corner of his eye, in the 
shadows.  He checked over his shoulder; nothing was there.

	"What is it, Brock?" Misty asked him, cradling up to Togepi.

	He blinked.  "It's...nothing."  He continued on, taking one last glance.  The group climbed into 
the jeep and drove off, kicking up a cloud of dust.

	As soon as they were out of sight, Joy stepped out of the shadows.  Her mouth hung sadly at the 
corners.

End

Next-		BadgeQuest #4
		Fire and Ice