"Join the club," Jessie groaned. The more they knew, the more confusing this puzzle got. The gift to communicate with pokemon, Miguel, a beautiful box, a past shrouded with secrecy, a cousin whom she hated, it was like something out of a dream, or a nightmare for that matter. It was like trying to put together a jig-saw puzzle with a piece missing.
"Well, we might as well try to work with the clues we have," Meowth suggested.
"Meowth, we only have one clue to go on and that's the Pokes and my connection with them. We won't be able to find out any more…unless," Jessie answered. She pulled her phone from out of her bag, and dialed a few numbers, "Tara, any chance you know where the Pokes' hideout was?"
"An abandoned DOUGHNUT SHOP!" James exclaimed when they reached the place, "Maybe they have some abandoned doughnuts!"
"Yeah, abandoned MOLDY doughnuts," Jessie yelled.
They walked inside the dark room that smelled musty.
"Where's a charmander when you need one?" Jessie mumbled. She felt along the wall until she found a light switch. "Just hope this works!" she said hopefully.
In an instant the lights flickered on revealing a room that looked like a conference room, not a doughnut shop.
"Hey! I thought that this was a doughnut shop!" James complained.
"That's just a cover," Meowth said harshly, "Even Jessie could tell you that!"
"And what's that supposed to mean you over-grown fur-ball!" Jessie shrieked. In her anger she tripped over a book. "What's that?" she picked up the book. Log it had printed on the front. "Maybe this has a clue," Jessie said picking up the book.
She began to read:
Here begins the log of Miguel G. Trar of the Pokes. I have been born with the power to communicate with pokemon. This power, as I have discovered, is so great that we could use it to communicate telepathically with pokemon. You can even use it to brain-wash pokemon. I can use this knowledge to finally have my revenge on those who betrayed me.
May 12
A spirit called Hiroshi came to me. He told me that I could rule the world. That I could become all powerful. That I could finally have my revenge. I told about this to our leader Jacob. He said that Hiroshi was an evil spirit who would posses the soul with evil. I will not believe him. I will join Hiroshi. He understands.
May 13
That old man Jacob finally decided to retire. Perfect! Now I can show the others Hiroshi and all his power. With our combined powers we will be all powerful.
May 14
Those FOOLS! All of them, even that old man Jacob. They do not understand the meaning of true power. Hiroshi and I will defeat them, all of them! We will have our revenge. We will destroy Isaac for taking my place. As soon as he was old enough, he tool my place as Jacob's successor. A place that was really mine! I will hurt him where it hurts most. Hiroshi and I will rule the world, and destroy them all, I swear it!
May 17
We have been designing a plan that will show them. We will use their power. They call me evil. Evil? HA! They are the evil ones, they don't wish to use their pokemon's power. Well Hiroshi and I will use my rapidash until its power has run out.
May 31
We have done it! Our revenge is complete. We removed their souls and locked them up tight in a ruby orb, which I will always wear around my neck. And if they do escape, they will have no body to return to and just wander the earth as restless souls. Heh! And soon I will get my revenge of Isaac!
June 1
Noooooo! I underestimated the power of that old man! I write this in my log through the last telekinetic powers I have. He has locked my soul up in a stone heart. He threw my body into the sea. But I will get the last laugh in the end. Hiroshi will release me 16 years from the day of our revenge and I will roam once more. But I will not have to wander aimlessly. I can just return to my stone. This will only work for me because Hiroshi is on my side. With my limited powers I moved my stone the heart of a lapres belonging to one of Isaac's little bratty daughters. I chose the older one for surely it couldn't be the younger who possesses the gift! Now Hiroshi is talking to me for the last time before he leaves me for 16 years. What! I have chosen wrong! It is the one-year-old brat Jessica who possesses the gift! The stone in the older one's lapres won't effect her! No matter! I will have my revenge once I am free. And I am safe from the old man Jacob for he can't destroy me! Not as long as the stone remained intact! I will be all-powerful! HA HA HA….
"He's more evil than anything I've ever seen!" Meowth exclaimed.
"But surely all that stuff about Hiroshi and his revenge are just fiction, right Jess?" James asked fearfully
Jessie shook her head, "May 31st is the same day that Jake died. I think that Miguel's soul has been released!" As if on cue, ghostly writing appeared on the last page of the log:
Jessica Annette Chan-Ling, you can not escape me. I will come for you. I will have my revenge on your father by destroying all that is important to him: your safety and happiness. I cannot destroy your sister, for she doesn't possess the gift! I will destroy you, and your pokemon, and your love. Hiroshi and I will have our revenge!
Jessie clutched arbok closely. "What's this about a love?" Meowth snickered.
"NEVER MIND THAT!" Jessie screamed.
"Jessie, does this mean what I think it does?" James asked extremely frightened.
"Yes it does, we're in trouble, and I mean more than double!"
Chapter #5 A Ghostly Encounter
Jessie looked at the view from the rocket balloon. This was bad, very bad. An evil ghost was after her and she had nowhere to hide. It knew all about her: her fears, her weaknesses, and even whom she loved. She and all that was important to her would be destroyed unless she could do something about it.
James came and sat down beside her. "So what love WAS the ghost talking about?" he asked.
"Nobody," Jessie answered. She was in no mood to be angry. She just hoped that James hadn't guessed that her secret love was, well, him.
Then a huge wind arose and began to toss the balloon around. "It's the ghost!" the three rocket members all screamed. They franticly tried to steer the balloon with no avail. It came crashing down, down. Fortunately, the top of the balloon worked like a parachute. They landed in the road right in front of Ash and his pals.
"Ask next time before you drop in, cousin," Ash grumbled. "I feel the same, COUSIN!" Jessie groaned in return, "I'm still Jessie, you know!"
"If you think that this is going to make me give you pikachu then…"
"We didn't mean to drop in here," Jessie interrupted.
"You see, this evil spirit is after us, and…" James started to say.
"Evil spirit!?" Misty laughed, "And you expect us to believe that?!"
Then the bright day darkened and a chilling wind arose. The outline of a ghostly figure appeared. Slowly it began to fill in to show a man with a glowing, blue light around him. "So we finally meet in person, Jessica Annette Chan-Ling"
"MIGUEL!" Jessie yelled.
"Naturally. Lucky for me I can destroy you and all those things I told you about in one sweep. So what if there's a few extra casualties. After all, Hiroshi promised me the world."
There was only one thing to do, fight! But how did you fight against a ghost? Then Jessie remembered something that she had read in the log. It said that the gift could make you communicate telepathically with pokemon. It was a long shot, but their only chance for survival. "ARBOK GO!" she called.
"HEH HEH! I'll be able to stop it's attacks before it even strikes!"
Jessie began to concentrate hard. "Arbok, use poison powder." She thought. She could only hope that her gift was strong enough. She knew that poison powder affected ghost pokemon, but would it affect a human ghost?
To Jessie's relief, arbok leaped at the ghost and poisoned it. She heard the ghost scream in pain, then vanish. "You haven't seen the last of me, Jessica Annette Chan-ling."
Everyone was silent except for Jessie who called, "Good work Arbok!"
Ash was the first other person to speak, "You know Jessie, for a self-center pokemon thief, you're not so bad."
"Well I guess for a selfish little brat, you're not so bad either," Jessie answered. Everyone laughed.
"We still need to find out how to destroy that ghost!" James exclaimed. He looked around as if an evil spirit was going to jump out at any minute.
"There's only one Team Rocket member that I know of who is an expert on the paranormal," Meowth said.
"And that is," Jessie and James asked.
"Cassidy," Meowth answered.
"NO! There is no way, no how, and no sir that I'm going to ask that ugly, self-centered, creep for advice!" Jessie screamed, "You can't make me!"
Minutes later they were approaching a small cabin much like theirs only it was painted a bright ugly green.
"How did you guys talk me in to this?" Jessie shrieked.
"Well do you want a ghost after you for the rest of your life?" Meowth asked.
"I don't see why we couldn't have just gone to one of those places like Madame Sigali's Spirit Experts," Jessie said trying to think of an excuse not to ask her old rival to help.
"Haven't you heard, Nat and Sim own that place!" Meowth answered. Natalie (or Nat for short) and Sim were other members of Team Rocket.
"Oh so it's going to be much better to ask Cassidy?" Jessie challenged.
"The difference is, Cassidy is a real, genuine, expert in the paranormal and Nat is just faking it!" Meowth yelled, "So unless you want to be destroyed by some evil, possessed spirit, I suggest you just ask Cassidy!"
There was nothing Jessie could say to that. "Why me?" she grumbled and rang the door-bell.
"CADE!" a huge rat pokemon sprang at Jessie and knocked her over.
"Who's there raticade?" Cassidy called.
"Get your stupid raticade off of me!" Jessie yelled.
"Oh! So it's you, Jessie. Come to admit how much better I am then you?" Cassidy laughed.
"Why you little…" Jessie started.
"Umm, Jessie, that might not be the best way to make her tell you…" James started.
"You stay out of this!" Jessie said angrily.
"You want me to tell you want?" Cassidy taunted, "How to get a brain?"
"It seems that by some ill twist of fate, I have a ghost after me and…"
"OOOO! You want my paranormal expertise! You finally admit that I'm better than you then!"
"Hold on! There's a HUGE difference between admitting that you're better than me and asking your advice."
"And WHY should I give you any advice?"
Jessie thought for a moment. "Well, unless you want an ugly ghost to take over the world before you do then…"
"WHAT! No ghost, especially an ugly one, is going to take over the world before me! Alright, I'll help you!"
She led them into the sitting room where Butch was reading the newspaper. "What are THEY doing here?" He asked.
"If I don't help them, a ghost is going to take over the world before we do! Jess, James, sit down and tell me all about this ghost." Cassidy said.
1 hour and forty-two doughnuts later, they finally finished telling their story. "Here's what I suggest," Cassidy said, "You have to defeat your sister in a pokemon battle! Then, while her lapres is weak, cut out the stone heart, smash it, and the ghost will be no more."
"What!" Jessie screamed, "that lapres means the world to Lorelei!"
"Why do you care?" Cassidy asked, "I thought you hated her."
Jessie thought hard. She had always complained about Lorelei, been jealous at her luck, and happiness, and sometimes she was angry at her, but did she hate her? "No!" Jessie realized, "I never hated her. I just wished that I was more like her."
"Why are you lying to me, Cass?" she asked.
"I'm not, honest!" Cassidy said.
"I don't trust your word of honor!" Jessie replied.
"Look, Jessie, if this doesn't work, take my raticade, and feed it to your arbok. I won't stop you!" Cassidy screamed.
Jessie was silent for a long time. She knew that Cassidy loved her raticade as much as she loved her own arbok. Cassidy wouldn't make a foolish promise like that, unless she was telling the truth. "James, get the rocket balloon out of the repair shop."
"But Jess, where are we going?"
"I'm going to have to do something I thought I'd never have to do: face my past."