The Misdreavus Menace

Part Two

Chapter Nineteen — A Blast from the Past

The nightwatchman did his rounds faithfully as he did every night when it was his shift. While he knew never to be complacent in a job like his, he was relieved that the nights were mostly quiet. Even in a place like Celadon City with its casino, crime was at an all-time low. Ever since the infamous Team Rocket had been caught and its members imprisoned, Kanto had become an even better and happier place to live than before.

It had nevertheless been disquieting to hear in the evening's news the bizzarre escape of Team Rocket's leader from jail. He wondered whether that meant that the organization had somehow survived, remained dormant, and was about to resurface. The news had reported that Pokémon were involved in the escape. That was a bad sign—everyone knew that Pokémon were frequently part of Team Rocket's modus operandi.

His route took him out of a side alley and onto the main street. He was about to enter through the front door of the building he was guarding and proceed to check the basement, but a strange glow caught his eye. He looked around to try to find the source of the odd pinkish illumination. He then realized its source was above him. His right hand automatically went for his weapon as he looked up.

The moment he lifted his eyes to see along the tall façade of the multi-story structure, the building was shaken by a loud explosion. The top floor of the building shattered into fragments before his eyes. Fire and debris would rain down in seconds.

The quick-thinking man took advantage of those precious few seconds. He ran across the street, reaching the other side just as the first pieces of concrete struck the pavement. He leapt into an alley between two buildings to gain some protection from the deadly rain, and immediately pressed the emergency call button on his radio.

Was the pink glow the result of some new bomb, he wondered? Could Team Rocket be behind this? Who would bomb the top floor of an unoccupied office building in the middle of the night? And what would he report? He had seen no-one, nothing unusual let alone suspicious, since he had started his shift.

The debris smashed into the pavement, sending shards in every direction. Windows smashed in adjacent builings. Alarms went off. Soon the place would be swarming with police and security.

The noise of the explosion and its aftermath subsided. Over the sound of burglar alarms, the nightwatchman heard a voice on his communicator.

"Joe, you OK?"

He pressed the transmit button. "Yeah, I'm fine, but there's been an explosion. Better send the fire brigade over, and the police."

"Roger," came the concise reply, ending the conversation.