The Usual Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor do I own any of its 
characters.  The story, however, is my own original work.  Please note that 
the Japanese names of the characters are used.  I would love any feedback, 
which can be sent to kfsevensoviet@aol.com; however, please don't flame me. 
 
Errare Est Humanum 
By KFSevenSoviet 
 
	It was a lovely spring day in Kanto as Satoshi, Takeshi and Kasumi were 
making their way to the next town in search of another badge and another 
adventure.   
	"Tra-la-la-la-laaah!" 
	Satoshi and Takeshi sang happily as they skipped down the path, arm in 
arm.  Kasumi followed sullenly behind them, carrying Pikachu and all the 
luggage.  Finally she couldn't stand it anymore. 
	"Oh for the love of god, will you two SHUT THE HELL UP?!" 
	Kasumi threw a rice ball at the duo.  She missed, and this made her 
even angrier.  She then threw Togepi at them, nailing Satoshi in the back of 
the head with the hard-shelled pokemon.  Togepi fell to the dirt, whereupon 
it rolled around, squeaking happily.  Satoshi and Takeshi stopped singing and 
skipping, and turned around.  Satoshi rubbed the back of his head. 
	"Geez, Kasumi, lighten up.  We're just trying to enjoy this beautiful 
day, you don't have to be such a bitch about it." 
	"Well maybe I would be in a better mood if I didn't have to carry all 
this stuff while you two fruitcakes are singing!!" 
	Takeshi leaned over to Satoshi.  "Time of the month," he muttered in 
Satoshi's ear. 
	"I heard that!" Kasumi screamed.  "And anyway, what are you thinking? 
I'm only thirteen!" 
	"Oh, right..." 
	Satoshi looked quizzically up at Takeshi.  "Hey Takeshi, what does 
'time of the month' mean?" 
	Takeshi's face turned a deep scarlet.  "Urm, uh...ask your mother." 
	Satoshi stared at Takeshi a while longer, then sighed and shrugged his 
shoulders.  "Whatever.  You older people sure are weird." 
 
	About a mile farther along the path, Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth sat 
amidst a clump of bushes eagerly plotting their next move. 
	"Ha ha, we've got them this time!" Kojiro said excitedly.  "There's no 
way my plan can fail this time!" 
	"Speaking of which," Nyarth said, "Musashi, did you bring da net?" 
	"Of course I brought the net!" Musashi snapped.  "How dumb do you think 
I am?"  She reached inside her shirt and pulled out a large net.  "Here's 
your precious net." 
	Kojiro and Nyarth said nothing.  Nyarth just looked at her with a look 
on his face that fell somewhere between amusement and disgust.  Kojiro 
couldn't stop giggling. 
	"You put it there?"  Nyarth asked skeptically.  "How did you fit that 
entire net in your top?" 
	"Hey, Musashi," Kojiro choked out between fits of giggling,  "What else 
do you keep in there?" 
	"Well, let's see..." Musashi began rummaging through her blouse.  "Some 
yarn, a screwdriver, a flashlight, matches, a box of Cuban cigars, this 
cassette tape of Burt Bacharach's greatest hits, a change of socks, a small 
watermelon..." 
	After about five minutes Musashi removed the last trinket (an 
autographed copy of "1984") and put it on top of a pile of items large enough 
to fill a suitcase.  Kojiro and Nyarth stared in amazement. 
	"How did you fit all of dat in your top?" Nyarth asked. 
	"Wouldn't you like to know," Musashi replied in her most seductive 
voice.  Nyarth continued to gawk in disbelief, and Kojiro deftly nodded his 
head and began to drool a little, his eyes still fixed on Musashi's cleavage.  
Nyarth noticed this and brought Kojiro back to reality with a taste of his 
sharp claws. 
	"Ouch, Nyarth, that hurt..." 
	"Quit yer whinin', ya wuss!" 
	"Shut up you two, here they come!" Musashi growled.  Kojiro and Nyarth 
immediately ended their argument and wriggled further into the cover of the 
bushes with Musashi. 
 
	"Me?! I'm not being insensitive, you are!" 
	"Oh yeah?" 
	"Keep arguing about it, guys, that's really helping..." 
	Satoshi, Takeshi and Kasumi were still arguing with one another as they 
approached Team Rocket's hiding spot.  When the trio was about two meters 
from the bushes, Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth burst forth and planted 
themselves directly in the path of the arguing trainers. 
	"To prevent universal destruction!" 
	"To protect universal peace!" 
	"To penetrate the evils of love and truth!" 
	"The lovely and charming v- ...wait..." 
 
	Musashi and Kojiro stopped repeating their motto.  Satoshi, Kasumi and 
Takeshi had apparently not noticed Team Rocket's arrival.  They were too busy 
arguing. 
	"Well if you hadn't been so busy chasing after every Nurse Joi and 
Officer Junsa we run into-" 
	"Yeah, well, you're just jealous because you can't even pick up a 
pokemon..." 
	"You're both losers! Shut up and let me get a word in edgewise, will 
ya?" 
	"Kasumi, you've been talking this whole time! We can't get you to shut 
up!" 
 
	Musashi and Kojiro stood and watched as the three trainers continued to 
argue.  Kojiro waved his arms and jumped up and down.  
	"Hellooo? Look over here, look at me!" 
	"You little brats, pay attention to us!" 
	"Hey you two, look what I got!" Nyarth said happily.  He was dragging a 
net behind him in which Pikachu sat pouting.   
	"Nyarth, you did it!" Musashi exclaimed, hugging Nyarth. 
	"Hey! Get off me!" 
	"We finally captured Pikachu, we finally captured Pikachu..." Kojiro 
sang, dancing around and clapping his hands. 
	"Hey, shut up, they'll hear ya!" Nyarth whispered angrily. 
	"Not bloody likely," Musashi scoffed.  "They haven't noticed us this 
whole time." 
	At that instant, Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi stopped arguing and looked 
up at Team Rocket. 
"Hey, they've got my Pikachu!" Satoshi shouted. 
	"Let's get 'em!" Takeshi barked.  The three trainers pulled out their 
pokeballs. 
"Damn," Musashi muttered.   
	"Aww, poo," Kojiro said. 
	"You idiots!" Nyarth yelled as he gave Musashi and Kojiro each a hard 
scratch on the shins.  "Use yer pokemon or dey'll get deir Pikachu back!" 
	"Oh yeah! Pokemon!"  Musashi and Kojiro each retrieved their own 
pokeballs and threw them. 
	"Arbok, Matadogas, get those twerps!" 
	Arbok and Matadogas started towards the twerp trio as they deployed 
their own pokemon. 
	"I'll handle this one!" Takeshi said confidently, tossing a pokeball.  
"Ishitubute! I choose you!" 
	The pokeball hit the ground and Ishitubute burst forth. 
	"Ishitubute, Explosion!"  Takeshi shouted, pointing at Team Rocket.  
Ishitubute bounced over to Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth and blew up.  Musashi 
and Kojiro were sent flying; they didn't even have time to remark on their 
"blasting off again."  Nyarth jumped in surprise and then took off running 
after Musashi and Kojiro.  "Wait for Nyarth!" 
"Well, that takes care of that!" Satoshi stated triumphantly.  "Come on guys, 
we're only a couple dozen miles away from the next gym!"  He and Takeshi 
started off again, with Kasumi following behind them grumbling and dragging 
all the bags and the net that contained the disgruntled Pikachu. 
 
About half a mile away, there was a small clearing filled with rocks and 
shrubs.  Birds were chirping happily and an occasional Caterpie crawled 
lazily through the long grass.   
Team Rocket fell from the sky and landed with a loud 'thwack' right on top of 
a particularly large rock, atop which a now flattened Kakuna had been 
lounging. 
 
Satoshi and Takeshi, having ended their argument, had now returned to 
skipping and singing happily.  Kasumi grudgingly followed behind, dragging 
all the pokemon and equipment.  She sighed loudly. 
"Kasumi, what's wrong?"  Satoshi asked, his voice filled more with curiosity 
than concern. 
"We've been walking for a long time," Kasumi complained, "and I'm really 
getting tired.  Also I'm starting to get blisters on my hands from dragging 
this net."  Kasumi dropped the net containing Pikachu, who was now asleep. 
"Well, since it's almost time for lunch," Takeshi said, "why don't we look 
for a nice spot to have a picnic?" 
The trio kept walking for a while until they came to the small clearing. 
"Ooh, this looks like a nice spo-" 
Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted 
Team Rocket.  Musashi and Kojiro were lying next to each other on top of a 
large rock, and neither was moving.  The two were badly singed and bleeding 
from several wounds caused by pieces of Ishitubute shrapnel.  There was a 
pool of blood beneath Musashi's head, and a trickle of blood ran from the 
corner of Kojiro' mouth. 
"Oh god," Kasumi gasped, "are they-?" 
"I don't know..." Satoshi whimpered.  Takeshi slowly approached Musashi and 
Kojiro and gingerly clasped each Rocket's wrist.  He backed away. 
"They're dead..." 
Satoshi just stared at the dead Rockets, unable to speak.  Kasumi began to 
cry softly. 
"Oh god Satoshi," Kasumi sobbed, "what are we gonna do?" 
"I...I..." Satoshi was still unable to speak. 
Just then Nyarth emerged from the forest into the clearing.  He spotted 
Musashi and Kojiro on the rock and rushed over to them. 
"Musashi? Kojiro?" Nyarth asked timidly.  "Guys?" 
Takeshi took a step towards Nyarth.  "Nyarth, I'm sorry..." 
"You!" 
Nyarth spun around to face the three trainers.  His eyes flashed angrily. 
"You did this!" 
"It was a-an accident!" Satoshi stammered. 
"We didn't mean to kill them!" Kasumi choked.  She began to cry harder. 
Nyarth rushed towards Takeshi, who was nearest, and began furiously clawing 
his legs. 
"You killed them! You bastards! You killed them! I'll kill you!" 
Nyarth cried and screamed as he shredded the legs of Takeshi's pants in his 
rage. 
"You bastards! You bastards! I'll ki-" 
There was a loud bang and Nyarth fell to the ground as blood started to ooze 
from a small wound on his head.  Satoshi and Takeshi turned towards the 
source of the noise and stared, awestruck, at Kasumi, who was holding a 
smoking pistol in her hand. 
"I feel better now..." 
"Kasumi..." Satoshi gasped.  "You..." 
"Where did you get that gun?" Takeshi asked in amazement. 
"From Pikachu," Kasumi sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her arm.  Satoshi 
and Takeshi turned to look at Pikachu, who had wriggled his way free from the 
net and was now leaning against the trunk of a tree.  He was wearing 
sunglasses and a tiny leather jacket and was smoking a cigarette. 
"...Right..." 
"This isn't good, guys," Satoshi said.  "They're dead, and it's our fault.  
We're gonna be in so much trouble..." 
"I'm too pretty to go to prison!" Kasumi whined.  Takeshi snorted, then 
remembered that Kasumi had a gun and bit his tongue. 
"What should we do, Takeshi?" Satoshi asked.  "You're the oldest, you 
decide..." 
"Well," Takeshi pondered, "we definitely killed them..." 
"I'll say..." Kasumi said, poking Kojiro with a stick. 
"...So I guess the only right thing to do is turn ourselves in to the police 
when we reach the next town," Takeshi finished. 
"Oh no!" Kasumi squealed.  She was still poking Kojiro with a stick. 
"You're just saying that because you want to see Officer Junsa," Satoshi 
complained. 
"Well, if you're sure...there is one other option..." 
"What?" Satoshi and Kasumi said together. 
"Since we're the only ones who know what happened...if we get rid of the 
evidence, we should get off scotch-free..." 
"But how should we do that?" 
While Satoshi, Takeshi and Kasumi discussed their options for disposing of 
the bodies of the late Team Rocket, Purin emerged from the shrubs.  It 
happily bounced over to the rock atop which the dead people were lying and 
took out its magic marker; it then proceeded to draw an 'x' over the eyelids 
of Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth.  Satisfied with its work, Purin replaced the 
cap on its marker and retreated back into the undergrowth. 
 
"So it's agreed," Takeshi announced a while later, after the three had 
finished deliberating.  "We find a good spot that's far away from human 
activity and bury the bodies." 
"Great, Takeshi, but how are we gonna get them there?" 
"We carry them, stupid, now come on." 
And with that, the three trainers set about covering up their crime.  Satoshi 
and Kasumi picked up dead Kojiro by his arms and legs and started dragging 
him through the forest.  Pikachu and Togepi followed, carrying dead Nyarth.  
Takeshi brought up the rear, with dead Musashi in his arms. 
 
At long last Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi stopped in the middle of the forest.  
Satoshi and Kasumi dropped Kojiro and began surveying the area. 
"This looks like a nice, isolated spot," Satoshi commented. 
Kasumi sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose.  "Ugh, it smells like a swamp 
in here...at least that'll mask the dead body smell..." 
"I think this is a perfect spot," Satoshi said.  "What do you think, 
Takeshi?" 
Satoshi turned to look at Takeshi and his jaw dropped.  Takeshi was still 
carrying dead Musashi, with one arm under her knees and the other under her 
shoulders, his left hand planted firmly on her cleavage. 
"Eew! Takeshi, you necrophile! Stop that!" 
"What's going on?" Kasumi turned to look at Takeshi.  She immediately gagged 
and turned away. 
"Gross! Takeshi, what are you doing?" 
"What? I was just carrying her!" Takeshi said defensively.  Satoshi looked at 
him skeptically. Takeshi sighed. 
"Look, sometimes a guy gets lonely, all right?  Now let's get rid of these 
things before someone discovers us." 
The trainers began to dig a large hole, using shovels they had found in 
Musashi's shirt.  As they were digging, Kasumi's shovel hit something hard. 
"What's that?" Kasumi wondered aloud. 
"Beats me," Satoshi replied, still focused on his work.  "Just keep digging." 
Kasumi shrugged her shoulders and went back to work.  Before the hole was 
finished, however, both she and the boys struck the hard object several more 
times. 
 
When they had finished the hole, Satoshi, Takeshi and Kasumi picked up the 
lifeless bodies of Team Rocket and dumped them in the hole.  They covered the 
bodies with dirt 
and then covered the newly filled hole with twigs, leaves and moss until the 
area showed no signs of excavation.  The three stood back to admire their 
work. 
	"Well," Satoshi panted, leaning on his shovel, "that should do the 
trick." 
	"Yeah," Takeshi agreed, "no one will ever find them now." 
	"Hey guys," Kasumi interrupted, "do you feel like the ground is 
shaking?" 
	The three trainers were silent for a moment.   
	Suddenly the ground erupted in a shower of toxic sewer runoff.  While 
they were digging, Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi had struck a sewer main.  
Everything that had been near the fractured pipe now spewed into the air, 
including the bodies of Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth.  Satoshi, Kasumi and 
Takeshi could only watch as the Rockets soared into the air, then began to 
plummet back to earth. 
	SPLAT. 
	Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth landed with a wet thud on top of Takeshi.  
Some faint gagging sounds came from beneath the corpse pile, then there was 
silence. 
	"Um, Takeshi?  You okay?" 
	Satoshi and Kasumi leaned in closer to the pile of bodies.  They could 
barely hear panting coming from the very bottom of the pile. 
	"Satoshi, he's suffocating! We've got to do something!" 
	Satoshi and Kasumi began peeling the deceased off the pile.  First they 
shoved Kojiro aside, then Nyarth.  That just left Musashi, lying face down on 
top of Takeshi, whose head was clearly visible.  His eyes were wide and his 
mouth was open slightly.  Satoshi and Kasumi could now clearly hear the 
breath rasping from his lips. 
	"Hang on, Takeshi, we've almost got you out!" 
	Satoshi and Kasumi roughly shoved dead Musashi aside.  Takeshi was 
still lying on the ground panting. 
	"Takeshi, what's wrong? We got the bodies off you, you should be able 
to breathe now..." 
	Kasumi glanced down at Takeshi and turned bright red. 
	"Hey Takeshi, is that an Ekans in your pants or are you just happy to 
see me?" 
Takeshi looked down at his pants, then muttered "excuse me" and dashed off 
into the woods. 
	"Hey Takeshi, where ya going?"  Satoshi called after him. 
	Kasumi thought for a moment, and then something dawned on her. 
	"EEEEEEWWWW!!!" Kasumi squealed. 
 
	When Takeshi had sufficiently dealt with his trouser problem and 
returned to the group, the three trainers started discussing another way to 
dispose of the dead Rockets.  However, no one seemed to be able to 
concentrate. 
	"I can't stand it anymore!" Kasumi whined after a while.  "If I don't 
get this nasty sewer gunk off of me soon, I'll never be able to think!" 
"Yeah, I say we go wash up and make camp for the night before we worry about 
Team Dead-As-A-Doornail here," Takeshi said. 
	"Agreed," Satoshi said, "but we should take the bodies with us just in 
case.  We don't want them to be discovered." 
	Takeshi and Kasumi nodded their approval.  Takeshi started towards dead 
Musashi. 
	"Oh no you don't, you pervert," Kasumi said.  She and Satoshi knocked 
Takeshi 
out of the way and picked Musashi up themselves.  Takeshi sighed and 
halfheartedly flung what was left of Kojiro over his shoulder.  With Pikachu 
and Togepi once again carrying Nyarth, the adventurers set off in search of 
the river. 
 
	An hour later, Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi found a steep cliff that 
dropped off into the river.  The water below rushed through a series of 
jagged rocks towards a waterfall about 30 meters downstream. 
	"Perfect," Kasumi said, peering over the cliff edge. 
	"Finally," Takeshi sighed.  "I'm sick of having Kojiro' dead ass right 
next to my head."  Takeshi flung Kojiro off his shoulder and into the river 
below.  Kasumi and Satoshi followed suit, swinging Musashi by her limbs over 
the edge.  Pikachu and Togepi rolled Nyarth off the cliff to join his dead 
comrades.  The three trainers stood for a moment gazing into the water below 
them. 
	"Well, that takes care of that," Satoshi said, brushing the dirt off 
his hands.  "Let's find us a good camping spot and turn in for the night, I'm 
beat." 
	"Sounds good," Kasumi agreed.  "My arms are all stiff from dragging 
Team Rocket's bloated corpses around all day." 
	Satoshi and Kasumi turned their backs on the cliff and set off along 
the curving riverbank in search of a campsite.  Takeshi took one last look 
into the raging waters, sighed, and followed his companions. 
 
Satoshi, Takeshi and Kasumi trudged through the woods following the riverbank 
for at least half an hour before they came across a suitable campsite.  It 
was a grassy meadow, not very large but right next to the river, about three 
quarters of a mile downstream from the rapids.  The river flowed easily and 
was clear and cool.  The sun was setting, so the three trainers pitched their 
tents and prepared to bed down for the night. 
 
"Ah, this is great," Satoshi sighed as he and his two friends sat around a 
campfire toasting marshmallows.  "Nothing like camping out with your 
friends." 
"I can think of plenty of things more fun than this," Takeshi muttered.   
"Are you kidding? What could be more fun than this?" 
"Satoshi, we're in the middle of nowhere, we have no money, we have to sleep 
outdoors every single night, and we just dumped a bunch of bodies for god's 
sake!" 
"Oh, right..." 
The three trainers sat in silence for a while.  No one seemed to notice that 
Pikachu had stuck Togepi on a stick and was now trying to toast it over the 
fire like a marshmallow.  Togepi, whose shell had acquired a healthy brown 
glow, was still squeaking happily. 
 
The trio of trainers didn't say much more to each other before they decided 
to head to bed.  The tents were set up in a triangle, with Takeshi's and 
Kasumi's tents along the riverbank and Satoshi's tent forming the point of 
the triangle.  As everyone prepared for bed, a light drizzle started.  By the 
time each trainer was comfortably nestled in a sleeping bag, the drizzle had 
become a deluge.  As they slept, sheets of water poured off their tents and 
ran through the grass towards the river, which was rapidly overtaking its 
banks.   
 
Takeshi was having a wonderful dream.  He was at a fancy dress ball, and he 
had met the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.  The two had hit 
it off right away, and were now passionately kissing each other in a 
stairwell. 
A sudden splash of icy cold water startled Takeshi awake.  He wearily thought 
of the dream he had been having, and how he could still feel the woman's lips 
on his.  It felt so real... 
Takeshi realized with a start that it was real.  His lips were actually 
touching another's; but it sure didn't feel like a gorgeous lady.  The lips 
were too cold and clammy... 
 
Kasumi was awakened by cold water rushing past her feet.  Her tent had been 
flooded by the river, which had swelled considerably and had partially taken 
over the grassy meadow.  Kasumi rushed to gather her things together and save 
them from the water; she then crawled outside and began to move her tent 
farther inland.  As she finished replanting the last tent stake, she glanced 
over towards the river and noticed that Takeshi's tent was still in the 
floodwaters. 
Not wanting to be responsible for yet another death, Kasumi decided to wake 
Takeshi up and help him move his tent out of harm's way.  She approached the 
tent and pulled the flap back just enough to poke her head in. 
"Takeshi? You awake?" 
Kasumi didn't hear a reply, so she pulled her flashlight out of her pocket 
and shined it into the darkness of Takeshi's tent. 
 
What Kasumi found in Takeshi's tent was Takeshi, his eyes wide open, lying on 
his back.  On top of him was the corpse formally known as Kojiro, lying 
facedown.  Takeshi's lips were touching those of the dead man. 
"TAKESHI!!!! YOU FREAK!!!" 
"Hunh?"  Takeshi muttered.  He was still not quite awake and wasn't sure what 
was going on. 
"YOU'RE DISGUSTING!!! THAT'S NOT EVEN A GIRL!!!" 
Takeshi was now wide-awake, and suddenly he realized what was on top of him.  
With a jolt of horror, he also realized whom it was he had been kissing.  
Immediately he jumped out of his sleeping bag, sending dead Kojiro rolling 
into the pool of water that had accumulated in Takeshi's tent.  Takeshi dived 
out of his tent and lay on the ground on his stomach, panting and spitting.  
He desperately grabbed handfuls of grass and shoved them in his mouth, trying 
to get rid of the taste of death on his tongue. 
 
The screaming had woken Satoshi up.  He sleepily emerged from his tent and 
found Takeshi on the ground eating grass, with Kasumi standing next to him 
looking disgusted. 
"Hey Takeshi, if you're still hungry we've got plenty of rice balls left, you 
don't have to eat grass..." 
Takeshi paid Satoshi no attention; he was still trying to cleanse his mouth 
of Kojiro.  Kasumi just sighed and rolled her eyes. 
 
Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi spent the rest of the night in Satoshi's tent, as 
it was the only dry one.  However, no one could get back to sleep after what 
had happened earlier that  
night.  Satoshi and Kasumi sat discussing what to do with Kojiro now that he 
had washed ashore; Takeshi was huddled in a corner hugging his knees to his 
chest and whimpering softly. 
 
When morning came, the three adventurers discovered that Musashi and Nyarth 
had also washed ashore during the night.  Some beavers had used the dead 
Rockets as logs in their dam upstream, and during the storm the dam had been 
broken and washed downstream.  There were tooth marks on the Rockets and 
clumps of beaver fur in Nyarth's claws. 
 
	Satoshi and Kasumi stood staring at the bodies of Team Rocket while 
Takeshi hung their camping gear on tree branches to dry. 
	"What the hell are we supposed to do about these things?" Satoshi 
complained.  "Every time we get rid of them they come right back.  It's like 
they're haunting us or something." 
	Takeshi shuddered over by the trees. 
	"Well," Kasumi thought aloud, "what if we just burn the bodies? They 
wouldn't be able to come back after that, right?" 
	Satoshi turned to glare at Kasumi.   
	"Well, gee, Kasumi, why couldn't you have thought of that yesterday? I 
mean come on, we went through all that trouble of burying them and throwing 
them off that cliff and now you're telling me we could've just lit them on 
fire in the first place and been done with it?" 
	"Don't you yell at me," Kasumi snapped back.  "It's not my fault you 
and Takeshi were too dumb to think of that to begin with." 
	While Satoshi and Kasumi were arguing, Takeshi calmly gathered the 
bodies of Team Rocket and put them in a pile.  He gathered some driftwood and 
threw it on top of the pile, then lit a match and tossed it on the pile.  The 
wood, despite being soggy, caught quickly and soon there was a roaring 
bonfire.  Satoshi and Kasumi turned to admire the flames. 
 
	Eventually the pile started to shrink and the flames started to die 
down.  Satoshi, Takeshi and Kasumi sighed with relief. 
	"Well," Takeshi said happily, "I expect that's the last we'll see of 
dear departed Team Rocket." 
	"Yep," Satoshi agreed.  "Now all that's left to do is put out this fire 
and scatter the ashes in the forest." 
	Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi rushed to the river to get buckets of water 
for putting out the fire, eager to end their ordeal once and for all.  Even 
Pikachu helped, submerging porous Togepi in the water then squeezing it over 
the fire.  After several trips back and forth from the river with more water, 
the fire went out with a plume of smoke. 
	The trainers drew nearer to the fire, waiting for the smoke to clear.  
When it did, they were greeted by the sight of Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth 
lying on the ground in a pile.  Their clothes were singed, but they were 
otherwise undamaged. 
 
	Kasumi, Takeshi and Satoshi stood aghast.  
	"But...but..." Takeshi stammered. 
	"How..." Satoshi blurted. 
	"They must've been too wet to catch fire," Kasumi said quietly. 
 
	"Damn it! Son of a bitch, bloody fucking hell!" Satoshi swore in a 
rage.  Kasumi and Takeshi took a step back, shocked. 
	"Wow," Takeshi muttered to Kasumi.  "I've never heard an eleven-year-
old use words like that..." 
	"Yeah," Kasumi agreed.  "Maybe we should do something..." 
	 
	Takeshi and Kasumi spent the next ten minutes trying to calm Satoshi 
down.  At long last they found themselves sitting on a log, with Satoshi 
sitting between them, a blanket draped over his shoulders.  Satoshi was 
shivering. 
	"There there," Kasumi cooed. She rubbed Satoshi's back. 
	"It's all right, buddy," Takeshi said in a comforting voice.  
"Everything will be all right, we'll figure this out." 
	Satoshi suddenly stood up.  "That does it," he said, and began marching 
off into the forest. 
	"Wait, Satoshi," Kasumi called after him, "where are you going?" 
	Satoshi turned back, a look of fierce determination in his eyes. 
	"To get some fireworks." 
	Takeshi and Kasumi looked at each other, then hurriedly packed up the 
camping gear, grabbed the bodies of Team Rocket, and ran into the forest 
after Satoshi. 
 
	Kasumi and Takeshi had to walk quickly to keep up with Satoshi.  It 
only took them about half an hour to reach the outskirts of a city, and 
Satoshi just kept on marching straight towards the market square.  Takeshi 
and Kasumi hid in a dumpster with the bodies of the late Musashi, Kojiro and 
Nyarth while Satoshi searched for fireworks.   
	"He's been gone a long time," Kasumi whispered while she and Takeshi 
crouched in the dumpster.  "I hope he's okay..." 
	"I'm sure he's fine," Takeshi replied, "he's probably just haggling 
over the price." 
	 
	Just then there was a knock on the side of the dumpster.  Takeshi and 
Kasumi carefully lifted the lid and peeked out.  There stood Satoshi, wearing 
a malicious grin.  He held up a box.  Inside were cherry bombs, firecrackers, 
M-80s, and several large, dangerous looking cylinders Takeshi and Kasumi had 
never seen before. 
	Takeshi and Kasumi scrambled out of the dumpster, then reached back in 
and pulled out the bodies of their former enemies. 
	"Let's do this," Satoshi said.  He stuck an M-80 in Musashi's mouth. 
	"Wait, Satoshi," Kasumi said, holding out her arm.  "Not here, people 
will see us." 
	"Not to mention," Takeshi added, "this is the middle of a city.  We 
could kill hundreds of innocent people." 
	"Let's find an abandoned parking lot or something out of the way and do 
it there," Kasumi suggested. 
	Satoshi sighed. "Fine, fine, you win.  We'll find an old shopping mall 
or something, and then we'll blow these bastards to kingdom come." 
	Satoshi picked up the box of explosives, Takeshi and Kasumi picked up 
the bodies, and  
together they set off in search of a suitable detonation site. 
 
	An abandoned airstrip at the edge of town looked to be the perfect 
location for a fireworks display.  Satoshi, Kasumi and Takeshi piled the 
bodies together in the middle of the airstrip and covered them with 
explosives.  Takeshi wired all the fuses together, and then he and Kasumi 
stood back as struck a match and lit the master fuse.  It began to burn down 
rapidly, much more rapidly than it should. 
 
	"Oh god, the jet fuel!" Takeshi said in a panic.  "It must be 
accelerating the fire!" 
	"We've got to get the hell away from here!" Kasumi screamed.  She, 
Satoshi and Takeshi took off for the edge of the airstrip at a sprint. 
 
	In the middle of the city people were going about business as usual.  
Young children crowded the markets, purchasing pokeballs and antidotes.  An 
elderly gentleman strolled down the sidewalk with his faithful Guardi by his 
side.  Several Koratta played a sort of game with an empty soda can in the 
sewers. 
 
	The explosion took only an instant.  For a few seconds, the entire city 
was engulfed in a bright white light.  The sound was deafening.  The people 
in the streets screamed in terror, afraid they were under attack.  Then, as 
soon as it began, the light faded and the sound began a diminuendo into 
nothingness.  Citizens picked themselves up from the streets and looked 
around in confusion, as if they were expecting to be dead.  A thick black 
cloud of smoke hovered over the horizon to the north. 
 
	Satoshi woke up with a terrible headache.  The explosion was like 
nothing he had ever experienced.  He remembered running for his life with 
Kasumi and Takeshi.  Then the shockwave had hit him with a force that threw 
him at least thirty meters.  The flash was blinding, and his eardrums felt 
like they had been torn out.  Then there was a sharp pain all over as his 
body had hit concrete and then everything went black. 
 
	Takeshi and Kasumi. 
 
	Satoshi scrambled to his feet.  His whole body was screaming in agony, 
and his ears were still ringing.  He staggered around the airstrip towards 
the epicenter of the explosion, looking for his friends.  As he got closer, 
the extent of the explosion became apparent.  Blood was spattered everywhere, 
and the air was thick with smoke and the smell of burning meat.  Satoshi 
reached the primary blast radius, and his eyes were met with a horrific 
sight.  The ground was littered with debris, chunks of asphalt, dirt and rock 
commingled with bits of human flesh.   
 
	Satoshi fell to his knees as he picked up a piece of the debris.  It 
was nothing more than a charred bit of carbon, except for the single bit of 
yellow cloth embedded within the shard.  Satoshi broke down and wept as he 
realized that his two friends were now scattered across the airfield.  
 
	In a delirium, Satoshi desperately searched the airstrip for some sign 
that his 
friends were alive; however he only found evidence to the contrary.  Here a 
blackened bit of Kasumi's suspenders, there a burnt, bloodied arm that had 
once belonged to Takeshi.  Satoshi's mind grew numb as he wandered toward the 
place where he and his friends had laid the bodies of Team Rocket; it had 
been the last thing they would ever do together. 
 
 	Satoshi reached the epicenter of the explosion.  He could barely hear 
sirens in the distance, and they were drawing nearer; but none of that 
mattered to him now.  He had to know.  
 
Twenty meters. 
 
	They must be gone, Satoshi thought.  They must.  There's no way the 
bodies could have withstood an explosion of that magnitude. 
 
Ten meters. 
 
	I know they're gone.  They have to be.  My friends won't have died for 
nothing. 
 
Five meters. 
 
	Not after all we've been through.  Not after this.  No, Team Rocket is 
gone for good and no one will ever know what we did.  The good names of 
Takeshi and Kasumi will not be tarnished. 
 
Four meters. 
 
Three. 
 
Two. 
 
One. 
 
Zero. 
 
 
	Satoshi collapsed to the ground in a heap.  There, in the middle of the 
airstrip, atop a circle of blackened, scarred concrete, lay the bodies of 
Musashi, Kojiro and Nyarth.  They were badly burned, and they were riddled 
with holes that oozed some sort of post-mortem fluids.  But they were still 
there, still whole, still recognizable. 
 
	Something inside Satoshi snapped.  As the police handcuffed him and 
hauled him to his feet, he started to chuckle.  The chuckle grew into a full-
blown laugh as Satoshi was read the charges against him. 
 
	"...arrest for the murder of Musashi..." 
 
	Satoshi didn't hear anything anymore.  He didn't see anything anymore.  
He didn't feel anything anymore.  As his head was forced down and he was 
shoved into the back of the police car, Satoshi laughed. 
 
 
Epilogue 
 
In an endless void somewhere, full of people just aimlessly floating around 
 
	Kojiro and Musashi hovered lazily, playing cards.  Suddenly there was a 
flash of light, and Takeshi and Kasumi appeared.  Kojiro and Musashi 
abandoned their game and floated over to the newcomers. 
 
	Kasumi and Takeshi looked around, confused. 
	"Takeshi, where are we?" Kasumi asked. 
	"Beats me," Takeshi replied, "but look who we've got for company..." 
Takeshi pointed to Kojiro and Musashi. 
	"Oh, great," Kasumi said sarcastically.  Then, to Kojiro and Musashi, 
"aren't you two supposed to be dead?" 
	"You'd better watch your tongue little girl," Musashi snapped. 
	"Yeah," Kojiro agreed.  "And anyway, if we're dead, what do you think 
that makes you?" 
	The color drained out of Kasumi and Takeshi's faces. 
	"We- we're dead?" Kasumi whimpered.  "You mean we have to spend the 
rest of eternity floating here with these two?" 
	"Hey, that's not very nice," Kojiro complained.  "Bad guys have 
feelings too, you know." 
	"We're really nice people once you get to know us," Musashi grumbled. 
	Kasumi and Takeshi just stared at the rockets for a while. 
	 
	"Well, whatever," Takeshi said at length.  "So what are we supposed to 
do around here?" 
	"Oh, anything you want," Kojiro replied happily.  "Here, watch..." 
	Kojiro closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, then opened them 
as a bottle of vodka appeared out of thin air. 
	"See?" Kojiro said as he pried the cap oft the bottle and took a drink.  
He made a face. 
	"Ick.  Well, I'm still getting the hang of this..." 
 
	"Speaking of doing whatever you want," Musashi said.  She floated up to 
Takeshi and slapped him hard across the face. 
	"Ouch," Takeshi said, rubbing his cheek, which now had a red handprint 
on it.  "What was that for?" 
	"That's for touching me, you pervert," Musashi snapped. 
	 
"And this," Kojiro said, advancing on Takeshi, "is for kissing me." 
	Takeshi tried to escape Kojiro's wrath, but it was too late.  Kojiro 
grabbed Takeshi around the waist and started to kiss him passionately.  
Takeshi struggled for a while, then succumbed to Kojiro's embrace and began 
to return Kojiro's advances with equal passion. 
 
	Kasumi and Musashi stood by as Takeshi and Kojiro expressed their love 
for each other.  
	"Urm..." Musashi said, aghast. 
	"Gross," Kasumi said.  "I knew there was something wrong with him..." 
	Jessie sighed in disappointment.  "Gee, and he was cute, too..." 
 
 
 
The End