Author’s Note: Ah, I finally finished! (It only took me all summer, LOL.) Thank you so much for reading Dare to Hope! I hope you enjoy the conclusion.
~Angela~

Dare to Hope

Part 3

“Ah… I always knew I’d be da top cat again…” Meowth sighed as he curled up onto the huge, expensive chair in the main office of the Team Rocket Head Quarters.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Michael laughed as Constance knotted his tie. “You’re still living with Mom and Dad, remember?”

“Yeah well dat’s close enough to bein’ da top. Where are Jess and Jim anyway?”

“They’re on their way. They aren’t late, you’re just early.”

“Oh yeah…” he twitched his tail contently from where he lay.

Constance finished with the tie and straightened Michael’s suit coat. “There! You look very becoming. You should wear a suit more often.”

“I’ll be wearing one everyday now,” he answered. “I don’t think I’ll get used to it though.”

She smiled. “At least it’s black instead of red like Giovanni’s was. I always thought that was a little silly. Yours gives the impression of professionalism.”

“Thanks.”

“Not at all, Sir.”

“Aw, Constance please don’t call me that.”

The woman with gray eyes cocked her head. “Why not? You’re going to have to become accustomed to that. You can’t afford let it bother you.”

“It doesn’t bother me…I just don’t want you to do it, okay? We’ve been partners and colleagues for too long for you to start calling me ‘Sir’.”

With a smirk she shrugged and said amusingly, “Whatever you say Boss.”

Michael shook his head. This would definitely be something that took time to get used to. He was just considering trying to move Meowth so that he could sit down and get off of his heavily bruised and aching legs when Constance spoke again.

“So have you decided who I’ll be paired with now?”

He looked back at her, surprised. “What?”

She was leaning against his desk, her eyes fixed embarrassedly and somewhat sadly on the floor. “You know, seeing as how you’ll be calling the missions now instead of running them…and I’m just another agent and all. I mean; I assumed I’d be put with someone else.”

This thought had not even crossed his mind. No more Constance at his side? She would have to leave and be a Rocket like the rest while he remained here. For the past seven years the two had been partners and for the first time they were to be separated. He did not think his parents had even known each other for this long when James was taken away from his future wife to go on his first assignment with Annie.

Michael self-consciously massaged his injured shoulder. “Um, well Constance I hadn’t really thought about-“

“Oh!” she suddenly sprang up. “Do you need new bandages? More medicine? I’m sorry, I keep forgetting how much your shoulder must hurt.”

He noticed where his hand was and dropped it to his side. “No, I’m fine. The Green Branch just rewrapped it yesterday. And I’m on plenty of pain killers for now.”

“It’s a wonder it’s not infected,” she said sympathetically. After you waited so long to even go in. I still can’t believe that you had the Green Branch treat every single Rocket that was at The Resort before yourself…”

Just then there came a knock on the office door.

Michael put both hands on his desk. “Come in.”

Katastrophie peeked her head inside the room before stepping timidly in. “Michael? I need to tell you something before I let the others come in.” She closed the door behind her. “Something that I’m not really sure you’ll like.”

Constance must have gotten the feeling that there was a need for privacy because she moved towards the exit.

However Kat stopped her and said, “Would you stay please? In case he freaks out?”

After a quick glance at her former partner, the brunette gave a curious nod.

Michael could not imagine what she had to say. Something that he wouldn’t like? This made him anxious. Had the doctors found something physically wrong with her due to the torture she experienced at The Resort? Had she decided to move somewhere far away? “What Kat? What is it?”

“Well you see,” she began nervously, “Lunia convinced me to give Kyle a chance to explain about what really happened after I’d been taken to The Resort and he said that he realized the terrible mistake he had made before he knew anything had actually happened to me. I didn’t believe him at all and was about to leave for good when in desperation he flung himself onto one knee on the floor and showed me a gorgeous ring. He had been carrying it for weeks! And he said he really did love me and always had and…and…”

Her brother suddenly noticed that something on the fourth finger of her left hand glittered against the ceiling lights. “Katastrophie…” he breathed in disbelief, “You’re engaged?!”

She nodded, waiting cautiously for his reaction.

He had forgotten that Meowth was in the desk chair until all of a sudden the pokemon jumped up. “What?! You’re gettin’ married?! You’re just a kid! And Jess told me that boy is a Ketchem. A Ketchem! Katastrophie, have you lost yer mind?!”

Kat was bewildered and embarrassed at Meowth’s presence. Her cheeks grew rosy as she stuttered, “No, I-I haven’t I- that is- please just give him a chance, he’s-“

“I’ll tell you what he is!”

“He’s that special one,” Michael quickly interrupted the feline. “You’ve already found the one that most of us spend years seeking. I’m happy for you little sister.”

“Yeah?” she looked hopefully up at him.

“Of course. Meowth is happy for you too, just give him time to get over the shock. At least he will get used to it or I’ll make him get out of my chair,” he added, glancing down at the cat.

He sat back down and crossed his little arms. “I ain’t movin’.”

“There, you see?”

The girl beamed like an excited teenager. “Oh thank you Michael!” she rushed to open the office door and cried happily, “Kyle, Lunia! It’s alright, you can come in!”

Her two companions entered, Kyle eyeing Michael with caution as he carefully slid his arm around his fiancée’s waist.

“What’s the matter?” her sibling asked him. “Don’t be so nervous. We’re going to be brothers.”

The other smiled. “Yes sir.”

As soon as the three had seated themselves in the guest chairs around Michael’s desk, in came his father and mother, accompanied by Annie and Cherish. Kyle tensed as his future in-laws greeted their son and took a seat as well; they did not yet know of their daughters new bond.

Michael however, knew that the elder Morgans had become a little more forgiving through the years than when the young Ash Ketchum had known them. What with having a daughter who made clumsy mistakes on important missions, a son who was perhaps a little too eager to remind her of how well he was doing in Team Rocket when she was progressing poorly, and the overall experience of parenting, leniency had come to them. His prediction was that they would take the news fairly well.

Constance crossed the room to stand behind the others because there were no more chairs available. After she was situated, all eyes turned to the new leader.

Assured of their attention, he began, “I asked you all to come here to discuss what exactly we should expect for Team Rocket in the years to come. I’ll begin by telling you about Domino.”

Because he wanted to seem professional and because his legs still ached painfully, Michael pointed to Meowth and said, “Alright, that’s enough. It’s my turn in the chair.”

The cat shook his head. “Uh-uh Mikey. I’ve waited a lot longer dan you have to be da top. I ain’t done enjoyin’ it yet.”

Jesse and James gave one another a knowing glance. The blue-haired one casually dropped a catnip leaf from his pocket onto the floor.

Meowth’s nose twitched and his ears perked up. Within seconds he was on the floor playing with the plant, helpless to resist the feline instincts inside of him.

Michael sat down with a great sigh, relieving a deal of pain when he did. Folding his hands on his desk he continued, “The Green Branch has declared that the hit Domino took to the head has caused her a loss of memory. She couldn’t answer any question that they asked her and didn’t appear to even remember her own name. It sounded all too suspicious to me until they reported that when she had been left alone for a few minutes they found her cheerfully looking through a magazine, pointing to a picture of a dog and saying, ‘The monkey says “oink!”’”

Constance snickered.

“So without telling revealing anything related to the team, they sent her on her way with a pair of crutches for her temporarily injured knee and a bottle of aspirin for the pain. If she truly does have amnesia, she has a chance to start over with a new life and be whatever she wants. I’m going to have a Red follow her around for a couple of weeks, just to be sure.”

He paused; waiting to see if his audience had any questions then went on, “Now as for Team Rocket as a whole… Well, to tell you the truth, I’m not exactly sure what the plans are for us, or what we’re to become. I suppose the main thing that Giovanni always sought was power. This he gained by stealing the most rare and valuable pokemon he could find. He planned to extend his reign far beyond this gym.

“But I care little for power or pokemon training for that matter. In fact, I have no need at all for the gym section of Head Quarters.”

Just then his eyes found Kyle and an idea came to his mind. “Although… You’re a pokemon trainer, aren’t you? And a Ketchum at that, so you must be good.”

Beaming, the boy shrugged. “Well I guess so.”

“Then why don’t you take the gym? Make it your own, play by the rules and give it a good following. No one would ever suspect that a secret organization functions in the same building. You’d be doing us a favor.”

He could see that Kyle was speechless. His mouth hung open until he finally stuttered, “A-are you serious? My very own pokemon gymnasium?!”

“Sure.”

“Yes sir, yes I would love to do that!! Hey wait, this doesn’t mean I have to join Team Rocket does it?”

“Not at all. You, Kat, and Lunia can simply stay here, live in Viridian City or the gym itself if you like, and run the arena.”

“And I could see you everyday?” his little asked him hopefully.

Now there was an extra perk Michael had not thought about. “I would like that.”

Kyle jumped up. “YES!! Thank you Michael! Er- I mean Sir. This is such a dream come true!”

“I had a feeling you’d like the idea,” he said, amused.

“I’m happy for you Kyle,” Lunia spoke, “but I don’t think I will remain here. I already have a gym. The one my Dad owns at any rate. I used to help him run it. It’s been so long since I’ve led that life…and as long as we’re all settling down with our travels, I’m actually starting to miss it. I think it’s time for me to go back to Astrolight City.”

“Lunia…” gasped an astonished Kat.

“We’re not the eager little twelve-year-olds we used to be, Kat. We’ve grown up. We’re moving on. But once best friends, always best friends, right? Don’t worry; I’ll be over often to visit you guys! As long as Team Rocket is no longer a threat, I suppose I don’t need to keep a constant eye on you. I’ll leave that to Kyle.”

With a chuckle Michael agreed, “That is one thing I can assure you of. We won’t be a threat to my sister.”

“Which brings us to a good question,” his father commented. “What exactly are we going to be?”

The new leader slowly rose and stepped to the office window to peer out at the thick clouds hovering over the dense metropolis that was Viridian City. There were a lot of people in the world. And with them a huge amount of hatred; ill will; evil plots…and especially pain. That was the result of it all. Agony. There was already too much of it. Why should he inflict more?

“It has to end,” he said at last. “The old ways. They have to go. However, I know it will be a difficult transition for most of the agents. So the change will be gradual. Slowly, we’ll make a turnaround. As much of one as we can manage. People tearing one another down, murdering, causing grief; there’s plenty of that without Team Rocket contributing. Instead of fighting for power and control we’re going to fight the pain. I still plan for us to be a secret organization though. We don’t need recognition. That only leads to greed, and I’ve seen what a powerful fiend that can be. It was Giovanni’s own avarice that pushed him into kidnapping Cherish and beginning this entire mess. The outcome is never beneficial. The team is going to leave all of that and start over.”

Constance inquired, “And what about you? What do you personally plan to do?”

He actually had tried to picture himself sitting at his desk every morning through evening, answering calls from his employees and deciding what the team would do next. But he was not fond of that image. “I don’t think I could stand to be cooped up in an office all day,” he replied, reseating himself at the desk. “I’m too used to traveling around and being in on the action. I suppose I’ll be running missions just like the agents will be. With the help of a very faithful partner of course.”

Her every feature brightened and she whispered, “Really?” as though she wanted only him to hear.

He gently offered her a smile that said, “How could I abandon you?”

The others in the room squirmed and looked around awkwardly with the feeling of intrusion.

Lunia changed the subject, “Hey Annie, how about your plans? What do you think you and Cherish will do?”

Masterson looked not to her but instead at Michael.

“I promise you,” he assured her, “you will never again be bothered by Team Rocket.”

She closed her eyes and remained hushed for a sacred moment as if letting this sink in. She had been hopelessly trapped by the team for most of her life. It had always been a burden on her shoulders, controlling and haunting her wherever she went. And now, at long last, the weight was being lifted.

She quietly sighed with content. “Then I’ll do what I’ve always wanted. Lead a normal life.”

“Do you have a place to stay?” Lunia asked her.

“Come to think of it, no I don’t. I doubt I’d be allowed back in my apartment after the landlord and tenants found Virginia and Li somewhat bloodied in my room.”

“Well it’s just…” the girl’s eyes were fixed on the baby, “the Officer Jennies all thought that I was Cherish’s teenage-mother. And just so that they wouldn’t have any reason to be suspicious, I pretended like that was the truth. It doesn’t take long to fall for her big brown eyes. Soon I almost started wishing that she were my child. Oh Annie, won’t the two of you come to Astrolight City with me? You can find an apartment building nearby or stay at my gym, if you want to. I want to be there when Cherish says her first word, when she learns to walk, when she starts preschool… I’ve simply fallen in love with her; she’s already so much like you. Won’t you please consider it?”

Annie paused as if pondering the offer then grinned like a flattered mother. “Lunia, that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard.”

“Hooray!” the young one cheered. “Thr Mastersons are coming with me!”

Michael waited as her excitement settled, wondering if any additional questions were to be asked of him from his council members. When none spoke a word, he inquired, “Is there anything else on your minds?”

“I have a question,” his sister said.

“Okay, shoot.”

“Well it’s kind of silly, but I was just wondering…is this long and drawn out adventure finally over? Can we all just- BE without all the constant worries on our conscious?”

“Who can really tell?” was his response. “We can only hope that the answer to that is yes. Life is full of one problem after another, but I dare say that these particular raging waters have at last been stilled. However, I can only assure you that Team Rocket will cease to be a burden to us all. For on the other hand the adventure is never over. As long as there is breath in our bodies, everyday is its own new challenge. So I’m going to have to let you draw your own conclusions on that one.”

“Michael, you are making absolutely no sense.”

“Good. I’ll be a leader yet.”

At this statement they all laughed, fully embracing and delighting in the closing to the dangers they had each faced, whether willingly or not. In truth Michael almost hoped that there would be more adventures to come (though perhaps quieter ones), and he honestly did believe the words he spouted. Each day holds excitement of its very own; sometimes you expect it and sometimes you don’t. With the coming of every new dawn there is a fresh chance to be all that you can; do all, and eventually more, than you are able; and to just live. That’s what makes it an adventure. The mystery and the choices; the thrill and the faith. Dare to live. Dare to hope.

********************************

She had come to the conclusion that memories were fragile and illusive things. Things that could be easily lost. Maybe everyone had a time when they could remember nothing; she did not know.

But then again it may have been just her that could not recall her own name. Perhaps it was just her that looked in the mirror and was puzzled by the blonde woman in the pink hat staring back at her.

She had no idea who she was, that remained the worst part of it. She might be a clerk, a fire fighter, a writer, a teacher, anything. Maybe she had lasted through years of schooling to be a doctor or a scientist, only to loose that knowledge now.

For the past two months the woman with no memories tried to earn a living by giving waitressing a try. “Who knows?” she attempted to tell herself, “I may have been a waitress all along. It could be what I’m meant to do.”

However, she soon discovered that she found absolutely no joy in the work. Her costumers and co-workers treated her poorly, and she often felt restless. It was as though her body knew something that her mind had forgotten. Something that yearned for exhilarating action throughout her dreary days.

The woman sighed and slumped farther down into the Fuchsia City park bench. She knew that there was no time to satisfy this mysterious longing, even if she knew how. In order to minimally get by, she worked a tight shift everyday. If there was more to life than this, she could not figure out what it was.

She watched a young boy playing on the swing-set in the park while his mother stood nearby.

He laughed gleefully and called to her, “Mommy, watch how high I can go!”

With amusement she replied teasingly, “You’re going to fly clear off that swing into space!”

“Yeah! Space! Push me higher! I want to fly!”

The girl who could remember nothing witnessed something that she could not comprehend. These two people seemed to have…a connection of some sort. She could she it as the mother gently helped her boy swing as far above the ground as he could safely go, causing him to shout in happiness and cry, “More! More!”

Perhaps there was something else about life itself. What could it be? She wondered if she would ever understand…or if she ever had. It was possible that she was part of a family once. Maybe she had children. She wondered if they missed her. Or perchance they too had woken up in a doctors’ office where everything was foreign and the sensation of familiarly had never returned. Maybe. She could never know for sure.

All of a sudden she heard the mother in the park screaming and looked up just in time to see a new character enter the scene. It was a strange man wearing matted clothing and possessing a dirty, fierce face. He had snuck up behind her and grabbed her wrist, seemingly trying to yank her over to a car he had hot-wired on the adjacent street.

She struggled fiercely to get free of his grip while her little boy leapt out of his swing. He dashed over to the stranger and kicked him in the kneecap (which was as high as he could reach) shrieking, “That’s my Mommy!!”

The man slightly winced then shoved the child to the ground with his threadbare shoe. His captive kicked, scratched, and screeched in his hands.

The blonde woman stood from the bench. Should she do something? If so, what?

After a moment he seemed to give up on his quest to make off with the mother and decided to settle for her purse instead. He roughly broke its strap and yanked it off her arm. Then, turning, he began to dash towards the vehicle. Dismayed, she could only watch him go, for fear had an arm in his possession that he was waiting to use.

Nothing could be done. The waitress merely stood in place as well, surveying him as he reached for the handle of the car door.

Then suddenly a black streak leapt from seemingly nowhere at all and hurdled onto the thief. It was a person! Someone dressed in a black uniform of some kind that seized the collar of the man’s worn shirt.

This second man next pulled brutally on the garment, bringing the first falling backwards and looking very surprised. His spine hit the pavement with a thud. The one in black immediately stomped his foot atop the other’s chest as his hand reached for a holster around his leg.

The shaggy burglar lay stunned on the ground, blinking up at his attacker with mouth gaping open. “Wha- wha…”

The second man removed a pistol from the holster and pointed it at his captive. “Well now, what have you to say for yourself?”

Cowering on the concrete, he only stuttered segments of words and held his now shaky hands just barely above the ground. “N-no, I…I…no, no!” He let the handbag fall from his grip, that being the very least of his worries.

The man wearing black almost seemed to smile for a moment, as if he were enjoying this scene. But then the expression faded and his boot appeared to lift slightly from the other’s chest. “Then get out of here.”

The bandit obeyed quickly, sliding his body out from under his adversary and stumbling to his feet. Tearing terrified down the street corner, soon he was out of sight.

After a moment the remaining individual, dressed in uniform, bent over and collected the purse and all of its contents that had scattered about the sidewalk.

Only when he turned around and headed for the boy and his parent could the woman of no remembrance see the large letter “R” on his black over-shirt.

A twinge.

She felt it! A part of her mind twinged! There was something almost…familiar about that symbol.

As he approached them, the lady held her son and backed away uncertainly.

He raised his pistol flat in his palm and opened the back of it. “Don’t worry. It’s not loaded, see?”

She merely stared at him with wide eyes as he handed her the bag. “Who…who are you…?”

He turned around as if preparing to leave then glanced back over his shoulder. “Not I. WE are Team Rocket.”

And with that he gave a small salute before disappearing in a run down the shady sidewalk. Within minutes, he was gone.

Team Rocket; that’s what he had said. Team Rocket. It was so familiar yet so mysterious that it tugged fiercely at the woman’s heart.

“Domino…this…is…not…over…”
“No. No, it most certainly is not.”

She gasped. A scene of old, short though it was, had just been played inside her head. Had she seen a memory?!

As the mother and son left the park to head shakily home, she stood by herself, almost too excited to breathe. She had recalled a time from before restlessness, before waitressing, before the strange doctor’s office. She remembered!

She must learn more about this thing that had brought back a precious recollection. This…Team Rocket.

The End

Author’s note: Again, thank you so much for reading my story!! Arigato gozimasu!

There are a couple things I want to make clear, however. First, Kat and Kyle will not be living together in the gym until AFTER their wedding. =) Secondly, I just want to explain that Team Rocket is definitely not going to become a sappy, bouncy little clan that goes around telling people to be friends and scattering flower pedals. It’s more like Robin Hood if you will; stealing form the rich to feed the poor. (They don’t do exactly this, of course, but it is a similar scenario.)

I’d be happy to hear from you. E-mail me HERE Thank you!