Chapter 6

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#CCCCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="14800640egdysm.jpg"> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Beginning):  </B><A HREF="dr_pro.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prologue"><U>Prologue</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 1"><U>Chapter 1</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 2"><U>Chapter 2</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 3"><U>Chapter 3</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 4"><U>Chapter 4</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 5"><U>Chapter 5</U></A></div> <div> <B>A Master in the Making:  </B><A HREF="mim18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 18"><U>Chapter 18</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 19"><U>Chapter 19</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 20"><U>Chapter 20</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 21"><U>Chapter 21</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 22"><U>Chapter 22</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 23"><U>Chapter 23</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 24"><U>Chapter 24</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id734.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 25"><U>Chapter 25</U></A>   |   <A HREF="mim26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 26"><U>Chapter 26</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection:  </B><B>Chapter 6</B>   |   <A HREF="dr7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 7"><U>Chapter 7</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 8"><U>Chapter 8</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 9"><U>Chapter 9</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 10"><U>Chapter 10</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr11.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 11"><U>Chapter 11</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr12.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 12"><U>Chapter 12</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr13.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 13"><U>Chapter 13</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 14"><U>Chapter 14</U></A></div> <div> <B>Dark Reflection (Finale):</B>  <A HREF="dr15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 15"><U>Chapter 15</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr16.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chapter 16"><U>Chapter 16</U></A>   |   <A HREF="dr_epi.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Epilogue"><U>Epilogue</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#000066" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/oldnews.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethralti"><U><B>Old News</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/zethraltier/zrfic/" TARGET="_top" 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Jade City is still in good shape, though.  No leveled buildings as far as I can see.  Maybe the Rockets left them alone after that last attack."</div> <bR> <div>     "I hope so.  I want to avoid further Rocket contact for as long as possible so we can find the Orbs without trouble.  Now, what do you think we should do first, now that we're here?"</div> <bR> <div>     Sani considered the possibilities, "Well, we could go over to Stormy Peak to see if we can find another Orb there, or we can go down to Jade City and see if we can meet up with that Dragon guy, Greg,  again.  He might be able to help us in some way."</div> <bR> <div>      Destiny nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like a pretty good idea.  Come on, let's see if he's still around somewhere."</div> <bR> <div>     The two of them checked the secret meeting cave first, then headed to the city after finding it empty.  Sani stayed back in an alley while Destiny walked down the streets with the vague hope of actually succeeding in her search for the Dragon member.  She passed the Jade City Pokémon Center without much thought, then remembered that Nurse Joy would probably have healed the Dragons' pokémon after the battle.  Perhaps she knew where to find them.  Realizing this possibility, Destiny quickly turned back and ran towards the center's automatic doors.  She almost smacked her face on the glass, though, when the doors failed to open.  Frowning, Destiny pushed on the doors, which seemed to be locked.  Looking inside, she spotted a sign laying on the floor.  It appeared to have been badly taped to the door, but no one had noticed when it fell off.  It was hard to read at the angle she saw it at, but Destiny managed to make it out.  "Pokémon Center closed for Resistance meeting until 5 p.m.  Sorry for the inconvenience.  -Nurse Joy"  Destiny looked at her watch, which gave the time as 4:28.  She smiled and ran to get Sani.</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Teleporting past the locked doors, Destiny and Sani looked around the pokémon center's empty lobby.  "I can sense some people back there," Sani said helpfully, pointing toward the door marked "dining room."</div> <bR> <div>     The two of them rushed past a surprised Chansey, Destiny flinging open the door to the dining area and stepping through without hesitation.  Sani, having a little more caution, stayed just out of sight on the other side of the doorway.  Destiny almost wished she had been a little less zealous, when she was met with silence as thirty surprised people stared back at her.  The resident Nurse Joy was the first to address her, asking if there was some sort of pokémon emergency.  "No ma'am, there isn't." Destiny replied, searching the faces for Greg, but failing to find him.  "Not concerning pokémon, anyway."</div> <bR> <div>     The Jade City Officer Jenny interrupted, scrutinizing the girl suspiciously.  "Who are you anyway, and how did you get in here?"</div> <bR> <div>     "Her name is Destiny," said a familiar voice coming from behind Destiny.  She spun around to see Greg enter the room through the door she had just run through, followed by Sani.  "She and this Mew are the ones responsible for saving our city from that last Rocket attack.  I don't know why she's here, but perhaps we should listen to what she has to say."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     "So what do you expect us to do about this quest of yours?"  Watching from the back of the room, Sani scowled at the speaker, an overly rude Dragon Resistance member who seemed more like a common pickpocket than a freedom fighter.  Apparently she was not the only one who thought so -- the Jade City Officer Jenny also seemed to be keeping an eye on him.  "This isn't any business of ours."</div> <bR> <div>     "Shut up, Connolly."  Greg snapped.  "You're not in command here, Captain Marlow is."  He nodded toward a muscular man with short black hair and a golden tan.  "What do you say, captain?"</div> <bR> <div>     The room waited in silence as the former Marine considered his response.  "Just what kind of help do you require from us, anyway?"</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny shrugged, "At the moment, all we need is any information that you can get us about locations for ancient temples, especially those associated with legendary bird pokémon.  Other than that, the best help we could have right now is for you all to keep us a secret from the Rockets.  If they found out we were here, Mewtwo would be on us in a flash."</div> <bR> <div>     The captain nodded, a kind smile spreading across his face.  "We shall provide you with all the assistance we can.  We will begin sending out requests for the information you desire immediately and also provide you with any equipment or supplies that we can spare.  As for your presence, you were officially never here."  Marlow glanced around the table.  "I trust that no one present will have any problems with our involvement."  No one spoke up -- even the disagreeable Connolly remained silent.  "Good.  Nurse Joy, I'm sorry, but it appears that our meeting has gone ten minutes longer than expected.  We'll finish our remaining business tomorrow so you can get back to your patients."</div> <bR> <div>     As the Resistance members filed out of the dining room, Destiny stayed behind with Greg and Sani.  "So, now I see why you were so confused the other day," the Dragon remarked.  "You must have thought I was crazy for a while there."</div> <bR> <div>     "Not any more crazy than we are." Sani replied.</div> <bR> <div>     "You're only crazy if you go out to scour all of Obsidia without being prepared.  Come on, let's go see if I can find you some useful stuff to take along with you."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     Peter Connolly walked through the door to his apartment with a strangely disturbing grin on his face.  Throwing his battered jacket onto the cluttered floor, he snatched up his vidphone, dialing a number he had memorized over a month ago.  The phone was answered after the ninth ring, but the video showed only a shadowed figure.  "This had better be important!" the figure snapped irritably, "I was in an important meeting."</div> <bR> <div>     Connolly nodded with pride, "Yes, sir, it's very important.  The future of Team Rocket could be at stake."</div> <bR> <div>     The shadowy figure leaned forward, revealing the face of Connolly's employer, Giovanni.  "Tell me more..."</div> <bR> <bR> <div>     "...and here's a vidphone, so we can stay in contact while you're on your quest.  That way, we'll be able to call you when we get any information, and you can call us if you need assistance."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny shoved the small device into her backpack, along with the rope, matches, and pocketknife that Greg had handed her.  Beside her, Sani examined a set of binoculars, looking through one end, then the other.  "Yeah, I can see how these might come in handy," she said, peering out the window for the tenth time.  Finally tiring of using the binoculars, she set them in the backpack as well.  "I still don't see why we need the rope, though.  We won't need to use it to climb something or pull stuff with."</div> <bR> <div>     Destiny had just started to explain that there were other uses for rope when the door opened and Captain Marlow stepped through.  "I have news from the Obsidian militia," he said.  "All veterans of the Great War have been requested to return to duty and begin training volunteers for the expected Rocket invasion.  The Dragon Resistance has been officially declared a branch of the Obsidian Army, and I have been promoted to Major.  Greg, as commanding officer in Jade City, I am promoting you to Second Lieutenant.  This puts you as third in command of the Jade City forces, right after Officer Jenny, who's been promoted to First Lieutenant.  Destiny, it looks like trouble's on the way.  We'll do all we can to support you while we're able to, but we might be running out of time..."</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>     "I have a mission for you, Mewtwo."  Giovanni's voice interrupted the psychic pokémon's troubled meditations.  Mewtwo groaned inwardly -- Giovanni's "missions" always seemed to be savage attacks on weakling opponents, young trainers that he would be forced to take pokémon from, giving them to his sinister master in return for his continued life.  Sure this one would be no different, he tried to focus his thoughts, trying not to imagine the fate that the Boss Rocket had in store for his future subjects.</div> <bR> <div>     "What are your orders for me this time?" he asked, careful not to show his true feelings to the Rocket.  Now that he had complete control over the psychic, Giovanni was acting far more confident than was good for him.  Mewtwo saw no reason not to take advantage of it, so he endured the orders and insults without complaint, acting as if he had accepted his subjugation, but in reality planning all the different ways he could destroy his "master" when he finally managed to turn the tables.</div> <bR> <div>     If Giovanni could sense the pokémon's feelings toward him, he did not show it.  "It has come to my attention that a unique young girl has been located in Obsidia."  Mewtwo frowned, having been sent on a mission the previous week where he had been instructed to "liberate" a Gyarados from another "unique"  trainer.  Apparently he had been right about his next mission.  Giovanni continued, "Supposedly, she is on a mission that will end in the destruction of Team Rocket if she succeeds."  <I>Good for her</I>, Mewtwo thought to himself, waiting for whatever point Giovanni was taking his time in getting to.</div> <bR> <div>     "Normally, I would consider something like this to be a false alarm made up by an overzealous operative, but it appears that this might be important after all.  The agent that reported to me also told me that she is traveling in the company of a Mew."  The crime lord let the words sink in before continuing.  "Your mission is going to be a little more difficult this time.  You will hunt these two down and bring them to me."</div> <bR> <div>     "I understand." Mewtwo stated simply, unwilling to have any more conversation with the Boss Rocket than was necessary.  It seemed that he had been wrong about this mission.  If there really was a Mew out there, he would be in for a challenge.  Depending on the strength of his opponent, he could be injured, or perhaps even worse...  That was not what worried him, though, when he considered the implications of bringing a living Mew back to Giovanni, who would of course want to control it like he did with Mewtwo.  Not only that -- Giovanni had cloned Mewtwo from a long-dead Mew's DNA, which had been destroyed when the clone had blown up the laboratory.  Mewtwo had always suspected that the cloning technology was still available, although perhaps in a less refined stage than the top-secret technology they had created him with.  The thought of Giovanni with an army of cloned Mews chilled Mewtwo.  At the moment, the world was safe from such an occurrence, since Mewtwo had recently learned that his own genetic code was too unstable to clone at the present time -- an instability caused by the genetic tampering that had created him in the first place.  But if Giovanni captured another Mew...  Mewtwo was almost afraid to consider the possibilities.  <I>Perhaps the biggest question is: What will happen if I succeed in this mission?</I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>