Miyamoto seemed to be pregnant for an eternity. Though the year itself went by fast, she never seemed to get any closer to having her child. Maybe I was just impatient to get her back out on missions. Though Xan, Cal and other members of the elite team were all excellent, none of them filled the void she left. She seemed to enjoy teaching new recruits, and even when she was heavily pregnant she’d have them all up early in the morning mists practising various techniques. Then again, she didn’t wake up half the time with a blinding headache or feeling sick. She’d probably have an easy time giving birth too, I’d put money on it. That was the news I was waiting for at the moment. The advantage of agents having children was that they were essentially born into Team Rocket. The two previous children that I could recall were now entering their teens, and were fiercely loyal. But I wasn’t about to use that as a way of getting loyalty. The thought of hundreds of small children running about screaming made my skin crawl. Ugh. The odd one or two could at least be ignored. My secretary came into my office, trying to control the beaming smile on her face.

"Ma’am, Miya’s had her baby."

"Name? Boy or girl?" I prompted.

"A girl. Jessica, I think."

"Did you speak to Miya herself?"

"No, Dahlia. She went with Miya, seeing as Cal is away. Apparently it was okay, and was over in about an hour and a half. They’re both fine, and will probably be back tomorrow."

"Thank you, Alison," I said. I had been right. Three days later after the initial rush of people had died down, I went to see Miya and her baby.

"I’m sorry for the mess," Miyamoto apologised. "I haven’t really had time to tidy up much." She looked exhausted. I remembered the feeling well.

"May I see her?" I asked. Miya nodded, and led me into another room.

"She’s only just gone to sleep," she said quietly as we peered into the cot. Carefully tucked up in blankets was the tiny baby girl. I could see that she bore a likeness to her mother. Such innocence, yet it wouldn’t last, especially not in this environment. Miya smiled and gently touched the sleeping baby, then looked at me.

"She may look cute, but she’s quite demanding. Keeps me awake half the night," she said, though her voice was full of pride.

"Giovanni was not too bad," I recalled. And I had Eric to help. Miya had people like Cal during the day, but no one at night.

"I suppose it doesn’t seem very long since he was a baby," she said.

"He still is in some ways," I replied shortly.

"Well men never seem to grow up do they?" she said with a laugh. I allowed myself a small smile.

"I wish to see you back at work in three weeks, Miyamoto," I said. "I need you back out in the field as soon as possible."

"That soon?" she replied, surprised. "I was hoping to have a little longer with her."

"How much longer?" I asked.

"Six months?" she said. I gave her a look. She was undaunted. "Please ma’am, I wouldn’t want to leave Jessie for a period of time when she is only three weeks old. I don’t mind going back to doing the research or the teaching after three weeks because I’d be near her. Besides, it’s almost winter and the success rate of missions is always lower then." Her blue-green eyes were wide as she looked at me. The thought of being separated from her daughter so soon clearly distressed her. I must admit, I hated leaving Giovanni with someone else when I first went back to work, and I was only on the other side of the headquarters.

"Very well," I said. "Two months."

"Four?" she asked. I sighed.

"Four then. But you are to return to your other work in three weeks."

"Thank you, ma’am. Thank you so much," she beamed.

"I must go now," I said, giving the baby a last look. She nodded, and went to show me out.

Giovanni was finally established as the Viridian gym leader. Trainers were almost queuing up to battle for their Earth badge. Finally all that trouble years ago at the Pokemon Tech and the training by Xan and Miyamoto seemed worth it, for he won all six opening battles. And if I needed him for something else, it was easy to send someone else to sit in his place for a few days. Sometimes it was Xan, sometimes Miyamoto, sometimes another capable person. My own Pokemon battling days were long gone, the Pokemon I had got when I was younger all dead now. I still had a couple as pets, a Ninetails and a Persian that had evolved from a Meowth Giovanni had found injured by the roadside one day. He loved feline Pokemon, and as a child would often beg me to let him have one. I preferred canine-like Pokemon, but when the Persian evolved, I must admit it caught my eye and I insisted it stay with me rather than going with Giovanni to Viridian City. They were my companions now, and would sleep in my bedroom on the floor. I didn’t mind if they slept on the bed – my little Nidoran used to, much to Eric’s annoyance – but there wasn’t room for both of them. The Persian got a little on the tubby side though. At first I couldn’t understand why, for it often disappeared off for a roam. Then I came home one evening to find the Persian curled up in the broom cupboard, with four little kittens huddled against her. When they were old enough, I gave one to Minty, one to Giovanni, one to my secretary and the final one to Trey, who had asked for one. Speaking of growing youngsters, Miyamoto’s daughter Jessie was growing fast. Miya would leave her with some couple outside of Team Rocket when she went on missions. I did not see a lot of her, but when she was three and a half, I began to grow suspicious as to the identity of her father. Two or three times over the past few months I had seen Stefan hanging round Miyamoto when he had passed by. He seemed keen to see Jessie, but Miya seemed to have other ideas. The last time she had grown angry at him, gesturing at him to go away. At first I was going to have someone spy on them, but then decided I would look into the matter myself. I went down to the labs one day when everyone had gone home. Locked away were blood samples from every single member of Team Rocket and any other relevant people. I found the vial that contained Jessie’s blood, and then found Stefan’s. It had been a long time since I had performed any DNA tests, but I did not want help. Eventually I got the results. I frowned. I must have made a mistake somewhere. I took another sample and painstakingly redid the test. I looked at the results of the second test, refusing to believe my eyes.

Giovanni was Jessie’s father.

I honestly did not know what to think. How on earth could that have escaped me? Admittedly, I did not have either Giovanni or Miyamoto watched by Oliver’s team of spies. Still, I should have picked up on it myself. How long had they been together? They couldn’t still be, I knew that for certain. Was I so terrible my own son could not tell me such matters? I had worked out that he had feelings for her, but never dreamt that he’d act on them, I didn’t think they were that strong. If I had known, I would have had Miyamoto posted abroad for a long time. If she had been from outside of Team Rocket, I would have happily let them be together, for I liked Miyamoto. She was good for Giovanni. I could never allow my top agent and my son to have a relationship though, for that would put the wrong message out to everyone else. The higher members of Team Rocket had to set an example. Giovanni and Miyamoto would have known that. They’d done well to keep it from me. Then I grew angry. Cal, Xan and possibly Dahlia, Xan’s partner would have also known about the relationship, and therefore the identity of Jessie’s father. Some of the people I most trusted had lied to me. What other things had been kept from me? And after all the concessions I had let Miyamoto have. My first thought was to have them all hauled in. Then for some reason I paused. It wouldn’t change anything; Jessie would still be Giovanni’s child. No, I would sit this out. Let them think they still had the wool pulled over my eyes. However, none of my elite agents would ever go unwatched again. The next time I saw Jessie, I looked at her carefully as she clung to her mother’s hand. She still looked more like Miya, one of the reasons I had not suspected anything. The red hair must have come from Miya’s side of the family. However, now I looked closely, I recognised the brilliant blue of the child’s eyes. Exactly the same as Eric’s eyes. He would have liked grandchildren, and would have been just as good as grandfather as he had been a father. Maybe if he were still alive, Giovanni would have been open about things. Yet that was just another unknown.

"I have a report for you, ma’am."

"I’m listening," I said, though I wasn’t really. It had been a tough six months. Results were down in all areas, and the amount of paperwork on my desk depressed me. A tape recorder was placed on my desk in what little space remained.

"I’ve got this recording made in the South American jungles at the base of the Andes. I think what is on it will interest you," said Miyamoto. I looked at her as she proceeded to play the tape. It had been eighteen months since I found out about the affair between her and my son. Neither were aware that I knew. I listened to the tape half-heartedly. Though I still had faith in her skills, I couldn’t give her my full attention. After about two minutes of jungle noises, I grew tired and switched it off.

"What am I supposed to be listening to here?" I asked.

"Please keep listening. It’s not much further," she replied, switching the tape back on. After another minute or so, there was a strange sound, like a baby Meowth. Miya switched the tape off.

"That was a Mew," she announced. I narrowed my eyes.

"Mew is just a legend, isn’t it?" I said.

"Supposedly, yes, but here on this tape is proof that it is real. It’s a very rare Pokemon. The legends say it possesses amazing psychic powers…"

"Yes, I know all about it," I interrupted. Eric, with his interest in psychic Pokemon had read widely round the legend of Mew and had often spoken to me about it. Such a rare Pokemon would be priceless. And if I controlled it…I liked the idea.

"You and Cal shall go to South America and bring back a Mew," I ordered.

"But ma’am, that could take months. Most stories say Mew lives amongst the mountains. The Andes are the longest mountain chain in the world. I could never search it all."

"You have a starting point, do you not? The place where the recording was made?"

"Yes, ma’am, but I don’t want to leave Jessie for months. I’ve not been back long from my last mission."

"Miyamoto, you are my best agent. I assume that by bringing me the evidence of Mew being real you were prepared for me sending you out to find one. And I would not be sending you all the way to South America if I did not feel you could find one. You work for me, you are therefore committed to serving Team Rocket despite any personal items in your life. Is that not what it stated in the contract you signed? Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma’am."

"Children are expensive, Miya, are they not? My brat boy has cost me a fortune. Bring back a Mew and you’ll be able to send your daughter to the best schools and give her the best possible life money can buy."

"I understand, ma’am. I’m sorry."

"Off you go then. I expect regular progress reports," I said, and watched her leave my office, holding her head high, but her shoulders showed she was a little dejected. I returned to my work, trying to make sense of the figures in front of me.

About three months later and Miyamoto and Cal still had not located a Mew. I was patient only because I knew the power the legendary Pokemon could give me. I had received a progress report from Miya. She believed they were close to finding Mew, and they were preparing to go up a mountain some local people had said Mew lived. Two days later, I received news from the agent that was shadowing them that there had been a huge avalanche, and that Cal and Miyamoto were both missing. A fortnight later and neither had been found, dead or alive. I decided to declare them both dead. If they had been alive, I was sure Miya would have got them to a shelter of some kind then called for help. The news had sent shockwaves through Team Rocket. Some people that had been close to them were devastated, like Xan. The memorial service was packed out, and you couldn’t move for flowers. The deaths of two of my best agents were upsetting to me too, even though they had deceived me, they didn’t deserve to die. Instead, I took my revenge for that out on Miyamoto’s daughter, Jessie. The people who looked after Jessie when Miya was away were informed of her death. They would now take care of her. Before I informed Giovanni, I made sure every single trace of Jessie and her whereabouts was erased. It would be on Miya’s record that she had a daughter, but that would be all. I did not wish her to be brought up in my sight. I never once thought of Jessie as my granddaughter. As far as I was concerned, she was just a thing that reminded me of the duplicity shown towards me by her parents, an insult to me. So I was not surprised that Giovanni showed up the next day, partly to see Xan, partly to see me.

"Mum, what’s happened to Miya’s daughter?" he asked innocently enough. I was writing something, so stopped and looked at him.

"Your daughter is with whoever Miyamoto sends her to when she goes away," I replied matter-of-factly. The colour drained from his face.

"You knew?" he said, clearly not believing his ears. "How?"

"Everything gets back to me eventually," I replied, simply. I started writing again.

"You know where she is, don’t you?"

"You are her father. Surely you know yourself?"

"Miya never told me." he replied.

"Well then, that is your burden," I said. "Perhaps you should have been honest with me in the first place."

"Tell me where Jessie is," Giovanni demanded, bringing a fist down onto my desk. I stopped writing again, and glared at him.

"I will hear no more on the matter. That child does not exist as far as I am concerned. Isn’t that what you wanted me to believe, that she was of no relation to me at all?"

"All the more reason to tell me where she is," Giovanni snapped, leaning on the desk. Whatever had happened between himself and Miyamoto, the guilt of it was clear on his face, and in his voice. For the first time I saw a troubled man rather than an angry boy. Well, he had dug this hole, and he could face the consequences.

"I forbid you to look for her. Now, if you’ve quite finished, I have work to do."

"You killed Miya," he shouted at me, waving a finger inches from my face. "You didn’t intend for her to come back. Why else would you send her after a Pokemon that doesn’t exist?"

"It exists, Giovanni. When you are feeling more civilised, I will show you."

"I don’t care. Miya’s gone and it’s all your fault."

"Don’t blame me for your own problems. Miyamoto knew the risks of being in Team Rocket, and accepted them. We all have to accept them, else there is no point in being here. And since you are in an unreasonable mood, I see little point in you being here." I picked up my pen again. Giovanni glared at me. I stared straight back at him. This time he lost the staring contest for he turned round and stormed out of my office, slamming the door behind him. I returned to my work. I did not expect forgiveness for my actions, and he had done nothing to apologise for his. As far as I was concerned another chapter had been closed in my life, even if it was not that way for my son. Whilst I remained in charge of Team Rocket, he would continue to follow my wishes as would the rest of my employees. Despite the recent tragedy, my quest to possess the powers of a Mew was still alive and well. It would happen one day, for I always get what I want in the end. I would not be here in charge of what had become a very powerful organisation if I had not got my way. Nothing is an obstacle for me. I’ve had my pitfalls, but I always pick myself up and carry on. Life goes on, and Team Rocket is my life. Let them all continue to be wary of me with good reason. Madam Boss will not go away quietly, not if I have anything to do with it.