RE: Matt's Pokemon Story (Chapter 9! Find out who dies!)
Chapter nine... the beginning of the end. It's all downhill from here. Eight chapters of plot finally build up to these last few chapters where things start going horribly wrong. I don't know how many chapters there will be total. I've got a couple ideas for other stories brewing in my head, but I'd like to get this one finished first.
I don't know if you'll remember this, but I just have to point this out because you guys will think otherwise if I don't: A little bit into the chapter, Ash refers to someone getting sucker punched. Remember, Ash is essentially oblivious to the 4th-gen world; he's not talking about the attack Sucker Punch, he's actually talking about a sucker punch (punching someone when they're not on their guard). So yeah. Just being clear.
I love this chapter. I hope you do too.
Special thanks to ID for the inquired and bacon for the said quietly, blankly staring at the floor ^o^
And so, without further ado, for your reading pleasure, PMJ Productions proudly presents:
Chapter Nine: First to Fall
Warning: Character death
She woke up with a scream.
Jessie sat up with a start. Reflexively, she reached for the knife at her bedside. Panting heavily, she first glanced around the room to ensure she was still alone. After confirming her suspicions, she replaced the knife and laid back down again.
"Same nightmare again..." for a few minutes she just lay there, thinking to herself, listening to the sounds of her breathing.
"That's the third time it's happened... how many more nights am I going to end up awake like this?" She looked over at the clock.
"Still dark... might as well try to get back to sleep."
Not two minutes after she'd closed her eyes again were footsteps heard. Voices were heard outside her door.
"Go back to sleep!" a girl's voice yelled quietly. "
I'll check it out. Don't worry about-- I don't care! She's my friend, too, and I got here first! Besides, what if she's not decent? I'm sure she doesn't want some
men seeing her when she's not proper. You can talk to her in the morning. Now go!"
Jessie, knife in hand, was now sitting upright in her bed, listening to the conversation that was happening outside her door. After a few moments of silence, there was a knock. "Jessie? Are you up? It's Shelly. Do you want to talk?"
Jessie slowly crept out of her bed, kitchen knife still held tightly in one hand. Being careful not to trip over her nightgown, she eased her way to the door. After unlocking it, she cracked the door open ever so slightly.
"Hey. Are you okay? Look at you, you're all sweaty! Poor thing. Can I come in?"
Relieved to see a friendly face, Jessie was more than happy to oblige. "Sure," she said, opening the door further.
"Thanks." Shelly wasted no time in taking a spot on Jessie's bed. After closing the door and locking it again, Jessie took a seat next to her friend. Replacing the knife on the stand by her bed, she flicked on a lamp so the two could see.
"What's with the knife?"
"It's... it's nothing, really."
Shelly put an arm around her friend and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Come on, don't be like that. I don't know anyone who keeps a knife within a foot of their bed. And we all heard that horrible scream. Ash and James came running so fast out of their rooms, they nearly ran into each other. I sent 'em away, though. It's just us now."
"I... I can't tell you."
"Do you wanna know something? When I heard you scream, I thought something awful had happened. I was so worried... I insisted that I be the one to talk to you." She wiped some of the sweat from Jessie's forehead. "No one cares more for you here than me. Aren't we friends?"
Jessie sighed, leaning into the other girl slightly. "Yeah..."
"That's right. We are. So let me be a real friend. I want to be the best friend I can be, and a good way for me to do that is to listen to what's wrong. Please?"
"A real friend..." Jessie pondered over Shelly's words. Jessie had never been one to make friends with anyone. It had taken her quite some time to even accept James as her equal in Team Rocket, and even longer to openly acknowledge him as a friend. Friends were not something Jessie had a lot of, and she felt good hearing someone besides her longtime partner call her a friend. A real friend.
"I... I've been having nightmares lately."
A smile crept over the older woman's lips, a smile that went unseen by the younger. "Really?" she said in her sweetest-sounding voice. "What about?"
"...Killing people."
Not expecting this, Shelly paused for a moment to take this in. "Okay... what do you mean?"
"A real friend," Jessie reassured herself.
"A real friend. I can trust her... she's my friend." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?"
"Of course. What are friends for?"
"I'm serious, Shelly. I shouldn't even be talking to you about this, but... we're friends, aren't we? I just want to be absolutely sure I can trust you. And I mean I expect you to keep this completely confidential, and no matter what you do, James can never find out. If he finds out I told you, he'll leave me- er, Team Rocket - for sure. I don't want to lose him. Promise me, Shelly."
"Calm down, Jessie, I promise. Okay? I promise, I won't tell anyone."
"Okay..." Taking another breath, she continued her tale. "James and I have been sent here to kill Ash and his friends."
"What? That's crazy!" Shelly gasped. "Your boss told you to do this?"
"Yes. And that's not the end of it. He told us specifically that James and I are to be the only ones who leave the island alive. We're... well, I don't think he knows about you, but we aren't to leave any witnesses behind, if you get my drift." Jessie paused as she felt Shelly slowly pull away from her. "But I couldn't! I would never, ever dream about hurting you. We're friends. Please believe me."
"Don't worry... I believe you," Shelly said, giving Jessie another reassuring squeeze. "Tell me about these nightmares you've been having."
"In the dream... I find myself walking. I don't know where. I don't recognize anything. I'm alone. It's kind of dark. I see a man off in the distance, and I run to catch him. I say hello, and when he turns around, I completely destroy him. Before I know it, he's on the ground, bleeding profusely from the huge holes I've torn into him with my bare hands. He is just...
screaming for mercy, begging for death, and I really want to give it to him, but I can't stop..." she paused to wipe away fresh tears that were forming. "I can't stop myself. I literally yank off one of his arms. Just claw straight through it like it was butter. And then... I just watch him bleed. Watch him suffer. Watch him die right before my eyes. And you know what? I don't even give him release. I just sit there and laugh at him while he slowly, painfully bleeds to death.
"And then, after it's all done, and I'm stained in this poor man's blood, I finally regain control over myself. By then, someone else has come over to investigate. One look at them and they suffer the exact same fate as the first guy. It goes on and on like this, and I can't stop killing... my body won't listen to anything I say. After the fifth person or so, I run away as fast as I can, my eyes closed because anyone who locks eyes with me will die.
"I hit a dead end. I turn around and in front of me is everyone I've killed. And they are not happy with me; they want to eat me. And they, in typical zombie fashion, slowly stagger towards me, while I scream for help. I start to run, but there isn't anywhere to go. Before long, they've surrounded me, and they all start ripping into my flesh, doing to me the same as I did to them. And finally, one of them grabs me, forces me to stare into the holes he used to call his eyes, and then rips my head off.
"And then I wake up. Last two nights I didn't scream when I woke up, though. I just get so paranoid, I keep this knife here for my own comfort."
"That's... a really terrible story," Shelly finally said, the sheer sickness of the tale Jessie recounted getting to her.
"When James and I first got here, the boss called us and told us if we completed this task he'd given us, he'd triple our salaries. And well, I was sold on that," she said with a chuckle. "But then here comes James and Meowth saying that Giovanni wants to kill us, that he wants to frame us, and blah blah blah... and you know, some of his reasons don't sound so bad. He's done nothing but put doubts in my head about this mission since we got here, and I know it's because he loves me and doesn't want to see anything bad happen to me. But he has no idea what my life was like before I joined Team Rocket... it's not something I want to go through again."
"Have you decided on what you're going to do?"
"Ever since he told me about his suspicions, I haven't had a good night's sleep. I've only recently started having nightmares, but for the past week and a half I've been up and down all night. I've gone down to the pier and just looked up at the sky to try and clear my head, you know? And... well... I think I've decided I'm going to stick with James."
"You mean, you're not going to kill anyone?"
"...no. With what we know, we could probably put the boss in prison for a long time, if not the rest of his life. We can always leave Team Rocket... James even offered to let me live with him and earn an honest living, together. We've done it before. I'd like that..."
"Well... I'm glad to hear that," Shelly said, unable to stifle a yawn. "Do you feel a little better? I think I'm going to go back to sleep."
"Yeah... getting this off my shoulder really helped. Thanks, Shelly," Jessie said, giving her friend a full embrace.
"Anytime, friend," Shelly replied, returning the favor. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" She let herself out, closing the door behind her.
Jessie smiled, happy that she had such a wonderful friend in Shelly. Covering herself up again, she closed her eyes and once again drifted off to sleep.
Minutes later, Shelly was in her room, quietly making a phone call. "Shelly here. No, not yet. But I just learned something that you might just find interesting..."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Hours later, Jessie was awakened by the loud ringing of her radio. Springing out of bed at her realization of the only person who knew the frequency to call, she scrambled to find her radio. "Jessie here," she blurted out upon finding the device and switching it on.
"Ah, Jessie," an oddly calm and cool voice on the other line answered. "This is Giovanni. How are you?"
"F-fine, sir. I just woke up."
"Good. I hope I didn't wake you."
"Not at all, sir," she lied, not wanting to invoke Giovanni's wrath. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, Jessie, I'd like to ask you the same thing. You've been with Team Rocket for many years. I remember even as a rookie you showed a lot of promise. I know you can get far in this organization. Why, in less than 10 years, you've reached the administrator level, a level not attained by many, even those with two or even three decades of loyal service under their belt. And do you know why that is?"
"No, sir," Jessie said, a bit puzzled at Giovanni's sudden 180 in behavior. She'd thought he would just bark a few orders and hang up without her getting so much as a word to herself. But this... this was different.
It was slightly worrying.
"It's because I see your potential. I won't always be here to run Team Rocket, and I need someone I know I can count on to carry on my business. And I want you to be that person."
"Me, sir? But just a couple weeks ago you were saying--"
"Forget last week!" Giovanni interrupted her, his voice light and airy. "The past is for weaklings. We have to focus on tomorrow! And in a very distant tomorrow, it could be you sitting in this chair. Wouldn't you like that? The money, the power, the respect you'd command simply from being leader of Team Rocket. Just think of it!"
"Um.. y-yes sir, that does sound wonderful."
"But enough about that. How is your current task coming along?"
"Ah, well, sir, we... haven't... actually..."
"Say no more! Say no more. That's fine. You still have four days before anyone suspects anything. However, Jessie, I'm going to make you a deal. Since I know you're much more capable than your partner, I'm willing to make you second in command if you pull through for me. Hear that? Second in command. You would be general manager, overseeing the activities of the building and ensuring that things were getting done when I need them to be done. You would report directly to me and me alone;
everyone else is your subordinate. I don't think I need to tell you what the general manager's pay is, do I?"
"N-no sir," she stammered, a lump forming in her throat. The general manager made more in a month than Jessie did in a year.
"You'd be set for life. I remember back when you first joined Team Rocket, you asked me if Team Rocket could provide you with a decent life, and I told you that you'd have a roof over your head, hot meals, a warm bed to sleep in... and have I lied about that?"
"No, sir! I'm very thankful for that, really!"
"You're quite welcome. I know you've been working hard to keep your job, and I'm proud of you for it. With this new job, money will no longer be an object for you. You'll be able to have everything you've ever dreamed of. All you need to do is come back to me with good news. Okay?"
"Sir, what about James?"
"What about him?"
"W-well, he's been my partner for years... I couldn't just leave him behind."
"Well, about James, there's something you should know. I've been meaning to tell you, but the opportunity never came up, what with you two spending so much time together."
"I'm listening... sir."
"James has come to me numerous times over the past few years requesting a new partner."
Jessie said nothing at first, in complete shock at what Giovanni had just told her. "What? H-he would never..."
"Yes, it's true. He always complained about how you'd abuse him and Meowth. And speaking of Meowth, I know he's with you." Before Jessie could blurt out an explanation, Giovanni kept talking. "I mean, come on, he's been missing for over a week, and that ingrate never misses a meal, let alone skip work for a week straight. But you're forgiven, since both the guard who escorted you to my helicopter and the helicopter's pilot have both been fired for not making sure there were no Pokemon with you two. But I digress. James also had complaints about your methods of stealing Pikachu, and also complained about the way you spent money. He didn't agree with any of it."
"Then... why would he stay with me? Why not reassign him or... or fire me?"
"Jessie, if I fired you, where would you go? I may not show it, but I care about all of my subordinates. I didn't reassign James because no one else was willing to work with you. Since day one, you've always had trouble working with others, but I don't see this as a bad thing. It's that kind of person, one who knows how to get things done and doesn't have to rely on someone else to slow them down - that I want to run my company when I'm dead and buried."
"It.. it can't be..." she stammered, tears beginning to form in her eyes.
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I'm sorry you had to go this long without knowing. But look at the bright side - after becoming general manager, you won't ever have to worry about bugs like him holding you back from greatness. So, what do you say? Can I count on you to get things done?"
She held back her tears as best she could. "Yes, sir."
"That a girl. I have confidence in you to complete this mission, but I'm afraid I will have to fire you if you fail. This is extremely important to the good of Team Rocket, and I did say you and James would not get another chance if you screw up. It's unfortunate, but that's the way it has to be. Be sure to get back to me in four days' time. Giovanni out."
Tossing the radio aside carelessly, she paced around the room, trying hard not to cry.
"Was he right, James? All the good times we had... all the special moments we shared... were those nothing but lies?" She sat on her bed and let a few tears fall onto her nightgown, the light purple fabric darkening with every drop.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. "Hey, Jessie, can I come in?"
"Shelly..." "Yeah... come on in, Shelly."
"Hey, I just wanted to know if--" she stopped upon seeing the magenta-haired beauty wiping away tears. "What's wrong? Another nightmare?"
"You might say that..." Jessie said with a chuckle, feeling better in the presence of someone she considered a real friend. "My boss just called me and told me that James pretty much hates me and he's been asking for a replacement partner for a long time."
"Really? Well... oh, it's nothing," Shelly said, turning away.
"What? What is it? Tell me," Jessie said, her eyes and voice filled with worry.
A pause. "Oh, I can't keep anything from you, Jessie... the truth is - and he told me not to tell you, but I don't care - James confided the same thing in me. I'm telling you this because we're friends, and I can't stand to keep you in the dark. Please don't be mad at me."
"He... I can't believe it. I've got to ask him." With this, she made to get past the redhead, but Shelly stopped her before she could get anywhere.
"Wait! Do you think he's really going to tell you the truth? You can't just go in there asking questions!"
Jessie stopped to process this.
"She's right... Meowth had said the same thing." "I don't know who to believe... but... even if James really doesn't hate me... I still don't think I can do it. The more I think about it, the more I see the twerps enjoying themselves... they've done nothing to get killed for. They haven't commited any crimes."
"Well, I don't know about them, but what about
you? You have to worry about yourself, too, you know. Do you want to end up on the street? And if you don't kill them, you'll have failed your boss. And... I hate to say it, but I don't think James will be so willing to let you stay with him if you make him lose his job. It'll be your fault. And I know I don't want to see you lose your job. I'll even help you. What do you say?"
"You'd... you'd help me? Really?"
"Of course I would," Shelly said, pulling Jessie into a hug. "Just between us, I don't really like those twerps either. I wouldn't mind getting rid of them. I'll help you every step of the way. So what do you say?"
"...All right. I'll do it." She squeezed the other woman tighter. "I'm glad I can trust at least one person here."
Shelly released her hold on Jessie and started walking towards the door. "Well, I'm going to be busy today, so whenever you're ready to do some killing, just let me know, okay?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Shelly."
With a wink, Shelly quietly excused herself from Jessie's room. Scurrying back to her own quarters, she quickly turned on her own radio and placed another call. "Shelly here... Yes sir, everything went as you planned. She completely distrusts him now... She's putty in my hands, sir. She'll do anything I ask her to. I don't think we'll have to worry about her faltering. With your permission, I'd like to start doing what I came here for. ...Understood. I will contact you as soon as I'm en route back to Kanto. Shelly out."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Operation Ketchum, Day 13
Ash and his friends have been here with us for three days. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, which is a relief. It's quite peaceful here. For the most part, Ash and his friends warmed up to us. Tracey and I have actually become friends through our shared love of art. When we first realized this, he insisted that we sketch each other. He's really good... I had no idea. He complimented my drawing, but his skill is on another level entirely. It's truly remarkable. How utterly ironic that I've been ordered to kill the first real friend I've had in a long time.
But I can't. If I had any doubts before, they are completely gone now. These kids have done nothing wrong, let alone done anything that warrants their deaths. As for Giovanni, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I haven't told Jessie about my plans to rebel, but I'm sure I can convince her completely before anything irreversible happens.
Speaking of Jessie, I'm worried about her. She doesn't socialize with anyone except Shelly, despite the younger girls' efforts to make nice. I hope Jessie hasn't told Shelly anything that could jeopardize our mission. I don't think she would, though... I trust her to have the sense to realize how important it is to remain discreet.
Most unusual of all, it seems as though she's been avoiding me all day. When I ask around, no one seems to know anything, and when I ask Jessie directly, she just looks at me like she's going to burst into tears at a moment's notice. I wish she would talk to me about it. I hate seeing her like this.
I still haven't talked to Ash regarding Giovanni. It's not like I can tell him the truth, which makes things a bit difficult. I have to think of something to tell him that won't blow our cover...
Until next time.
A knock was heard on James's open bedroom door. "Hey, man, you busy?"
James put his pencil back into the notebook's binding and looked up. "Oh, hey, not really, just writing some things down. Why?"
Tracey welcomed himself into James's bedroom. "Just wanted to know if you wanted to go lift a few with me," he said, motioning his head in the general direction of Giovanni's personal gym.
"No thanks, not right now," James replied, setting his notebook beneath his pillow. "I've gotta find Jessie and find out what's bothering her. Have you seen her?"
"Mm, yes actually, I have," Tracey confirmed, nodding his head. "Well, it's been a little while since then, but I last saw her swimming in the pool. Her room's closer, though, so you might wanna check there first. I'll be in the gym if anyone needs me, okay?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem," James said. "I'll go with you to the stairs, since I'm headed that way." The two walked the short distance to Jessie's room in silence. Upon reaching the door, James knocked. No response.
"Maybe she's sleeping..." the blue-haired man thought as he knocked again, a little harder. Again, there was no response from the inside.
Tracey shrugged. "I guess she's still swimming."
The two of them continued their walk, the sound of their footsteps filling the room. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, a loud banging noise was heard at the door. Tracey and James both looked at each other, each wanting to know what was causing the ruckus. A voice was heard from outside. "Hey!" it shouted. "Someone open up!"
"That's Ash," Tracey noted, walking a bit faster toward the door. "What, is he kicking the door?"
Upon opening the door, a barechested Ash barged past them, carrying Misty in his arms. "Great. One of you, go find some help or something, we were attacked out there," Ash commanded. He put the girl on the couch in the center of the room. He turned around and noticed that both men were still standing near the door, eyes fixed not on the screaming boy, but the unconscious, slightly blue figure behind him. "What are you guys doing?!" he snapped. "Didn't you
hear me?! I said get some help!"
James blinked a few times as if brought out of a trance. "Oh, uh... right. Tracey, there should be some first aid in a bathroom... one near the pool is closest." As Tracey sped off to the place James mentioned, James stepped closer to the boy and his girl, and was slightly hurt when Ash backed up, fully expecting James to pull a knife on him. "I know medicine," James explained. "I've treated Jessie for all sorts of injuries in the past... I doubt what's happened to Misty is any different. If you let me see her, I can tell you what's wrong with her."
Ash scoffed. "I don't need
you to tell me what's wrong with her. I already told you, we were attacked."
"By what?"
"I don't know. But it was definitely a Pokemon," Ash said, turning to face the unconscious girl. "It was small, black... huge claws... had some red thing on its head. I've never seen one before..."
"I see. What were you doing? Did you provoke it?"
"Of course not!" Ash snapped back at him. "Misty asked me to accompany her to the waterfall. I said yes. We were probably halfway there when all of a sudden this
thing comes out of nowhere and starts picking a fight with us. I asked it to leave us be, and for a minute I thought it was gonna go quietly. It kinda nodded at me, and started walking past us, but at the last second it sucker punched Misty and knocked her out. I picked up a branch on the ground and batted that thing into a tree when it started laughing, and then I took that branch and jammed it into its brain. Eight times. I leave the branch in its skull and hurry back to Misty, who I am surprised to find is now cold as ice, which leads me to believe that thing did an Ice Punch attack. I wrapped her up in my shirt, but I really don't think it's helping much. She..." he paused for a moment, trying quite hard not to cry, especially not in front of... Team Rocket. "She's going to die, James."
"She's going to die, James." James played that line over again in his head. Meowth had uttered those same words on many occasions whenever Jessie had come down with some illness, usually brought on by an attack from some Pokemon and its family that Jessie had provoked for whatever reason. Thanks to quick thinking and a cool head, James was always able to save her without too much trouble. "She's not going to die. Don't say that. I've dealt with freezing injuries before. As soon as Tracey gets back, I--"
"Here you are!" Tracey exclaimed, having returned from collecting supplies, bringing Brock and Max with him, who had been nearby and filled in on the situation by Tracey. The Pokemon watcher set everything he had on the table and looked down at Misty, her once-pink skin now taking on a more bluish tint.
James wasted no time in opening the various kits, looking for the medicines he'd need. Finding one, he looked up at Ash. "Move," he instructed. When Ash didn't move at first, he spoke again. "Listen, do you want me to save her or not? If you don't let me do this, she
will die!"
Slowly, albeit reluctantly, Ash did as he was ordered. James unwrapped Ash's shirt from around Misty's waist and very carefully rolled Misty's tank top up, exposing her stomach, as well as the three large, round, black and blue bruises that marked it. Blue vein-like marks streched out from these bruises. James noted the light scratches below each of the bruises.
"These marks... there's only one thing that could have caused this. And based on Ash's description, there's no mistaking it." "It's fortunate that you got here when you did," James said, opening one of the bottles he'd taken. He gently poured some of the clear liquid onto the fallen girl's stomach, turning the wounds white.
Max cringed when he heard the medicine react with the wound, creating a sizzling sound. To anyone passing by, it might have appeared that James was grilling a burger on Misty's stomach. Needless to say, Ash was extremely suspicious. "What did you just do to her?" He asked rather firmly, trying hard not to overreact.
"It's mainly a disinfectant," James explained, putting the bottle back while the wounds on Misty's stomach continued to gurgle and sizzle. "It can also be used as a painkiller."
"Can she feel that?" Max said, leaning over the couch to get a closer look.
James chuckled as he took another bottle out, followed by a syringe. Taking the tool out of its plastic cover, he drew some of the bottle's contents into it. "Not likely, since she
is unconscious. That's probably better, though, since a wound this bad would likely leave her in a good amount of pain."
Setting the syringe aside, James took another bottle and squeezed out a white cream onto the girl's stomach. Gently, he rubbed it over Misty's thighs, arms and stomach, applying an extra layer to the three black marks and the surrounding area. "What are you doing now?" Ash inquired, a bit calmer, almost completely forgetting that Team Rocket was saving his best friend's life.
"This is just anti-freeze balm. It's not the main agent, but it should help reduce the freezing. Her body will absorb it in a few hours' time." Wiping his hands on his shirt, James then picked up the syringe he had put aside. "
This is the main agent. It speeds the body up. I'm actually surprised Giovanni has this, since its addicting nature led it to be given out through prescription only... anyway, when injected, it gives your body an enormous boost of energy. Compare it to drinking a gallon of pure liquid caffeine in one sitting. Anyway, in the medicinal world, it's used to help save frozen people by using this to jump start their hearts. Misty's internal organs are already starting to shut down, which is another reason why she can't feel anything I've done. Mixed with the cream I applied, this stuff oughta kick her systems into overdrive. If all goes well, she should be up and about in a couple hours with nothing more but slight discomfort at the source."
As James looked for a vein to put the needle in, Ash took this opportunity to ask another question. "You're sure this'll save her?"
"Absolutely," was James's reply.
"Oh geez, I really hope this works... never had to use this stuff before... but everything else has happened like the books said it would, so..." Finding a suitable location, he injected the gold-colored liquid into the girl, and put a little bandage on the puncture site when he was finished. He stood up to admire his handiwork.
"Not bad, James," he complimented himself.
"So what now?" Brock asked.
James wiped off his hands. "Well, there's really nothing we can do now but wait. Keep her warm at all times. I would advise against wrapping her up in anything, as the cream will rub off onto it, and we don't want to take any chances of that happening. Her bedroom is likely a more suitable location. It's probably warmer in there than it is down here, and there are no windows to let a breeze in. Ash, will you help me carry her there?"
"Sure," he agreed, without a hint of defiance. Ash was quite impressed with James's knowledge of medicine, and found himself incredibly thankful that James had been around to avert a disaster.
"Great. I'll grab her hands. You take her feet, and we'll just set her on her bed. Brock, would you go open the door upstairs for us?"
"Yeah, sure thing," Brock replied, rushing ahead of the other two to do as he was asked.
When they finally laid Misty to rest in her bed, the three men let out a collective sigh. Nothing to do now but wait. In an instant, James suddenly realized what he'd gone downstairs for in the first place. "Oh! Brock, you were in the pool, weren't you? Have you seen Jessie?"
"I was there, yeah, but I haven't seen her. Sorry."
"Ah... I see. Well, thanks anyway."
"Not surprised at all... she's probably with Shelly." "Say, Ash, would you show me the body of the thing that attacked you? I'm pretty sure I could identify it if I got a good look at it."
"I was thinking something like that, actually," Ash admitted. "Max would know. He battled me before we came here; he beat the daylights out of me with his Luxray. It's a sweet-looking Pokemon from Sinnoh. I don't know if you've ever been there, but--"
"Actually, I have," James interrupted. "My family owns a mansion there. I haven't been there since I was a boy, but I
am familiar with Luxray. They
are pretty strong. But that's beside the point. I'm sure Max would agree that a second opinion couldn't hurt. What do you say?"
"He sure is being nice... he's gotta be up to something." Looking over at Misty's still unconscious body, he sighed.
"I promised you I'd stop being so suspicious. And he did save your life. He can't be all bad. All right. I will accept him." Ash looked back at the two other men. "All right. Let's go. But I want everyone to bring a knife or something, just in case that thing's got friends, cause I tell you right now if I saw my buddy dead with multiple stab wounds to the head, I sure would want my buddy's murderer flayed alive. And since we don't have any Pokemon with us, we'll just have to defend ourselves in the best way possible. All right?"
The two other guys nodded. The three of them headed downstairs and informed Max and Tracey of their plan to go find the body of Misty's attacker. "Where's May? I want to know everyone is safe before we go out," Ash asked.
"She's not with you?..." Max trailed off.
"What? Wh-what are you talking about, Max, only Misty was with me..."
"Yeah, she said she wanted to go see the waterfall, and she was going to go catch up with you and Misty."
Ash sighed. "... All right, I have really had enough of this..." He turned to James. "Before I say anything else, I want to thank you for helping Misty. She surely would have died if you hadn't acted. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
James couldn't help but smile at this. Being thanked for a job well done...
this was new. Ash, however, was not about to let him bask in the compliment for long. "I promised her I would not be so suspicious of Giovanni. Needless to say, finding you guys here made me even more suspicious. It's been really hard for me to accept you and Jessie as little more than annoying flies."
James cringed. "Annoying flies" was ranked #4 on the top ten ways Giovanni described James and his partner.
"But after this, I can't help but think you guys are on the level. At least you are. But I want to be absolutely clear on something - I hate liars. And more than that, I hate people who betray people's trust. I'm trusting you enough to give you a really sharp object and not run it into my back when I'm not looking. If you even so much as try to harm a hair on me or any of my friends, you're dead. If Misty dies and I find out either of you two caused it, you're dead. I'll kill you both myself. Are we clear?"
"Of course," James responded. "I'd like to talk to you later about your suspicions, but right now we have a body to find."
"Right. Max, stay here in case May shows up or Misty wakes up. Tracey, will you get us a bunch of knives or something from the kitchen? Biggest, most sharpest things you can find."
"You bet," was the reply, and Tracey scurried off for the second time.
"James, do you know where that Shelly girl is?"
"Most likely at the waterfall. She and Meowth have gone there almost daily since we got here."
Ash nodded. "All right. Do you think she might be behind this?"
"I don't know. I can tell you she's not a part of Team Rocket, that's for sure."
"Will these work?" Tracey asked, running into the room with four butcher knives in his hands. Ash took one into his hand and made a few practice cuts into the air. "Yeah, man, these are perfect. Okay. I'll lead the way. You guys stay close behind. Got it?" A collective nod as Tracey handed out weapons. "Let's get going."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
With a small groan, May opened her eyes.
Upon regaining consciousness, the first thing May felt was a slight pain in her abdomen. She went to feel it, but was shocked to find that her arms were bound behind her. The second thing she felt was the feeling of cold metal against her semi-bare back.
"Man, that's cold!" she thought, briefly cursing herself for not wearing a longer shirt over her swimsuit top, yet having the sense to at least wear shorts over the bottom.
"Oh come on, what's going on here?" she muttered aloud. She tried briefly to free herself, but whatever had tied her up had done an excellent job in doing so. She wasn't going anywhere. "All right... this is just a dream. Just a dream. If I could only pinch myself..." She struggled in vain to free her hands, and then made to kick herself, but quickly found that her legs were bound together at the ankles. "Urgh. All right, fine. I'll just wait it out."
Her focus was briefly turned back to the pain she felt upon waking.
"Ugh... man... what happened?" She played over the events in her head.
"I... I was going to the waterfall. I remember that. Everything else is just a blur..."
She spent the next few minutes trying again to free herself before a quiet humming sound was heard nearby.
"Hello?" she managed to squeak into the darkness.
A pair of golden eyes flashed in the darkness a short distance away, eyes that May recognized easily. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Max, this isn't funny! Call off your stupid Luxray and untie me!"
A light flicked on overhead. Looking up, May saw that it was a Volbeat staring curiously down at her, and it was this Volbeat that produced the hum. It fluttered around her, its tail light shining briefly on the surrounding area, confirming May's suspicion of what the pair of golden eyes belonged to.
"That's enough," an unusually deep, masculine voice said from behind the Luxray. It was a voice May could tell was not a true voice, but someone using something to disguise their voice. Upon hearing this voice, the Volbeat immediately put out its light and scurried to the Luxray's side.
"Max, I'm serious! This isn't funny anymore! Untie me, or I'm telling Mom you brought your Pokemon!"
The controller of the Luxray let out a laugh. May's breathing grew heavier as she heard footsteps creep slowly behind her. She shivered as she felt cold hands touch her shoulders. "Silly girl," the voice taunted. "I am no brother of yours." May could feel the coldness of a mask on her cheek.
"Wh-where am I? Tell me! Let me go or I'll scream!"
"Haha! A useless effort! Volbeat!"
The small bug immediately lit himself up and presented himself to his master.
"Show this girl why her screams will fall on deaf ears."
The Volbeat nodded and whizzed by the Luxray stationed nearby to the top of a flight of stairs where a lone Mr. Mime sat in meditation. "There. See that?" the voice whispered. "With Mr. Mime there, any sound - such as, just as an example, a girl's scream - is completely nullified. Rest assured, May... no one outside of this room can hear you scream."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
An hour or so after the men of the mansion had journeyed into the jungle...
"It should be right around here..." Ash said as he ventured into a clearing. The roar of the waterfall could be faintly heard in the distance. "I don't get it. It happened right here. The body should be here..." The others looked around the area in an attempt to spot the creature Ash described, but to no avail.
"Are you sure this is the right spot?" James asked, wiping some sweat from his brow. "We've come quite a ways. You said it was about halfway, right?"
"I'm sure of it. Look, see here?" he pointed his knife at a tree branch. "Look. Look here, see? This is the tree I broke the branch off that I used to beat that thing to death. It all went down right here. But there's no trace of anything ever happening here!" Ash sighed in frustration and sat down on a nearby log.
"Do you suppose it had friends who came back for the body?" Brock inquired, leaning up against a tree.
"I really hope not. It's bad enough I killed him," Ash said quietly, staring blankly at the floor. "I don't know what came over me. When I saw Misty go down, I just... I just snapped. Does that make me a bad person?"
"No, not at all," Tracey reassured him. "When your loved ones are threatened, it's only instinct to do what you must do to keep them safe from harm," he said with a smile.
"Well, maybe you're right. He
was the one to attack first. He provoked me, right?" Ash reasoned.
'Yeah," James chimed in. "So don't beat yourself up over it. At least we know that we've got at least one more unwanted visitor on this island. We have the manpower, and the weapons to deal with it. I was hoping I'd have a body to confirm my suspicions, but I don't think I really need one. I'm familiar with most of Sinnoh's native Pokemon, and based on your description of it as well as Misty's wound, I'm almost completely certain that it was a Weavile that attacked you."
"A Weavile, you say?"
"Yes. It's Sneasel's evolution. They--"
"Sneasel
evolves?" Ash questioned, his eyes wide with disbelief. He thought back to his attacker's appearance. "Hm... well, yeah, I could see that. I guess that makes sense. Sorry I interrupted you. Go on."
"They're usually found in colder climates, and they usually travel in groups," James recalled, surveying the surrounding area for any markings that might prove his theory. "Their groups are small... no more than four or five members."
"So we're dealing with a bunch of wild Weavile?" Tracey asked.
"No, that's not likely," James said, shaking his head. "It's like I said, Weavile are usually found in cold climates. The fact that you encountered one in Orre should be proof enough, but the fact we're also on an island with tropical temperatures should remove any doubt at all that the Weavile you killed was owned by someone."
The four guys all looked at each other for a moment before Tracey asked the question on everyone's minds. "But...none of us have any Pokemon with us. And besides, Weavile? I've never even heard of it before now. Do you think it belongs to Giovanni?"
"That's what I was thinking," Ash said. "James, do you know if Giovanni has a Weavile?"
"I thought you'd ask that. And the answer is no."
Ash kicked the dirt at his feet. "Well shoot, then if it's not his, then--"
"Giovanni doesn't have
a Weavile," James interrupted him. "He has three."
"Three!" Ash exclaimed. "Well ha ha, funny man! So he's got three. So do you think this Weavile was one of them?"
"That seems to be the logical explanation," James said before trailing off.
"What does he think he's doing, sending Pokemon here? Did he send them to kill Jessie and me, too?"
Brock stepped away from the shady tree he'd been resting under. "We should get back to the house and talk to everybody about the situation. Maybe Misty's awake, too."
"I'm going to look for May. I'm worried about her," Ash said, glancing towards the waterfall. "I didn't see her on my way back, so it's possible she's there. She might have taken a separate path." He turned back to his three companions. "James, you're with me. Brock, Tracey, you two head back to the house. If you run into Jessie, Meowth, or Shelly, fill them in. Be on your guard. And if you're attacked by anything, kill it. If you don't know what it is, drag it back to the house. I don't care how sick you think it is, I want to know exactly what we're dealing with, and Jessie might know what it is. If she doesn't, I'm sure James will. Once you're back, wait for our return. Okay?"
"All right," Brock agreed.
"You got it, fearless leader," Tracey said, mock saluting his friend.
As Tracey and Brock began the trek back to the mansion, Ash and James traveled deeper into the wilderness. "Why did you want me to go with you?" James asked.
"Ah, well, a number of reasons, really," Ash stated, stepping over a log. "I don't trust you, first and foremost. I trust you a little - I mean, you saved Misty's life - but best friends we ain't."
"Fair enough... why else?"
"You said you wanted to talk to me about my suspicions. I figure now's as good a time as any, don't you?"
"Oh! Well, I was going to wait until later, but yes, now is a good time... could you tell me the details of your suspicions? What exactly are you suspicious of?"
"Your boss, who else? I get home one day and find that Giovanni of all people sent me a letter asking me to come to his secret island house in the middle of nowhere. And you of all people should know that I don't rank that high on Giovanni's list of favorite people. So of course, number one reason why I'm suspicious. Second, no Pokemon? I mean, what gives? I have Pokemon battles outside of my house all the time, and not a single house has been damaged. Does Giovanni think I'm some kind of careless nut? My friends and I all take the utmost care not to damage others' property when we're battling. I can understand not wanting his house to be ruined, but come on."
"Well, Giovanni doesn't come here to battle. And it's not like he has anyone to battle. He comes here to relax. Any training Giovanni does is done at HQ. Since losing Gym Leader status, he spent a good chunk of change on a personal battle arena where he pits his own Pokemon against each other, training them to become vicious attackers."
"And here's another weird part. In his letter, he said that after I come back, I'm supposed to work with him to make the world a better place."
"What in the world? He never mentioned that to me..." "Did he provide any details?"
"Nope. I was hoping I could ask you about that. You guys are pretty high up in Team Rocket, aren't you?"
"Heh. You make it sound so good. Jessie and I are both at the administrator level, yes, but we're still ants to Giovanni. He doesn't care about us at all." A light went on in James's head. "As a matter of fact... I've been having a few suspicions of my own. I think Giovanni is planning on leaving Jess and me here."
"What? Why would he leave you here?"
"Well, before we got shipped off, he kept yelling at us about how we've done nothing but fail since joining Team Rocket. And Giovanni still thinks we're locked in his basement, and he's got no clue that we smuggled Meowth with us. And we've been here for almost two weeks. He never mentioned when we'd be coming back, so... maybe he plans on letting us starve to death."
"Wait a sec, hold on. You guys have suitcases filled with clothes. What was up with that?"
"Oh, well, um, that was... well, that was Jessie's doing. She threw such a fit that the boss let us take a few extra sets of clothes so we could at least not wear the same thing over and over and over... didn't want us stinking up his house, he said... heh." James wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead as the two continued in silence.
"I can't believe I just made that up on the spot! Man, how close was that?" As they approached the waterfall area, they both couldn't help but look over the edge of it, in both awe and fear of the roaring water violently crashing down to the river below.
"I don't see May anywhere," James noted, scanning the area for the lost girl. "Jessie either... let's head to the bottom. Maybe we'll find one of them there."
Ash and James walked down the path at the waterfall's edge to the cliff bottom, where they found Meowth attempting to skip rocks in the water.
"Hey," Meowth said casually, not particularly acknowledging either young man.
"Meowth, what are you doing here by yourself? Have you seen Jessie or Shelly?"
"Ah, those two started talking about something in secret and then Shelly took off like some kinda psycho. Jessie was here for a while, but after Shelly left, Jessie got all depressed and wouldn't say a word to me. She just sat over there and sulked for a while. Then just out of nowhere she says, "I'll be back," and then leaves. I'm surprised you guys didn't see her on your way here."
"Have you seen May?" Ash asked, not entirely interested in Meowth's tale.
"Nope. You guys are the first ones I've seen since Jessie left. Why?"
"She's gone missing. Come back with us to the house. We'll fill you in on the way."
"Sounds good to me. I'm starving," Meowth whined, clutching his stomach.
And so, despite not learning any new information, the three males began their journey back to the mansion...
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
About an hour had passed since she'd come to, but May's ordeal wasn't over yet. He'd taken her pride. Her sense of self-worth. There was still one more thing the masked man had wanted to take from her.
The man had had the decency to let the girl have a few minutes to herself, thinking she'd stop crying, but she didn't. All May did was cry. Tiring of waiting, the man decided he would deliver the final blow. He motioned to his Volbeat, who lit itself up despite the lights being on. The man yanked May's beaten body to a sitting position. "Hey! Hey! Stop your crying! Look here. See my Volbeat? I asked you a question! Do you see my Volbeat?"
Fearing another beating, or worse, the girl did her best to dry her eyes so she could see more clearly. "Yes, Master..."
"Look at its tail. See the light? Look at it."
May began to weep softly, already fearing what the man was planning on doing. "Please, don't... I-I'll do anything..."
The man let out another loud, long laugh. "Are you trying to bargain me with me?" He reached into his robe with one hand, pulled out a handgun, and pointed the barrel of it right between May's eyes. "Don't toy with me. Now you listen, and listen good. I could kill you at any given time, and no one, I mean
no one would hear it. I can keep Mr. Mime in here for days, and he can keep this door shut with a mere nod of his head. While we're on the subject of heads, if you want to keep yours, I suggest you do what I say and look at the light."
It was all over now. What was she to do? Resigning herself to her fate, May did as she was instructed. The Volbeat waggled its tail light playfully, knowing what was going to come next. The man gave one simple command: "Volbeat, Flash."
A flash of white, and May's world quickly went black.
She sulked on the ground in pain at her eyes being rendered useless in mere seconds. She fell to the ground, wanting nothing more than to die, and found herself wondering when the man would make good on his promise.
With May's sight now taken, the man began to make his exit. He turned to Mr. Mime. "Is the coast outside clear?" The psychic Pokemon closed his eyes for a brief moment, and nodded his head upon opening them again. "All right. Looks like it's time for me to go now." He leaned in close to May and pressed the barrel of his gun to her forehead. "Listen to me. Don't you ever forget this day, understand? I'm not going to kill you because I want you to live. I want you to live and remember what happened for the rest of your life, got it?"
"Yes, Master," May squeaked out.
"Good. I'll
see you later!" the man laughed, recalling his Mr. Mime and Volbeat. He opened and shut the basement door with a slam, leaving May lying on the floor in a heap, blinded, bleeding, bruised and beaten.
She sobbed quietly to herself, confident that there was no way things could get any worse in the three days she had left on this island.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
When Ash and company arrived back at the mansion, Max rushed out to greet them, almost tripping over himself in his hurry.
"You guys!" he screamed. "May's here!"
"What? That's great!" Ash proclaimed. "When did she get back?"
"No, Ash, I mean she's been here the entire time! But Ash... something bad happened to her. Real bad. She's sitting with Misty right now, but--"
"Misty's awake?! Why didn't you say so? Move, move!" Ash all but shoved the boy genius out of his way so he could get inside. Seeing the main room empty, Ash dashed up the stairs two at a time. "Misty? Misty!" he called out. He burst into Misty's bedroom, only to find it empty; he bolted down the hallway to May's room next. He made to enter, but the door was locked.
"Told you," a voice from inside said. "Ash, calm down, I'm okay."
"Misty! Open the door, would you?"
"No. We're having a private conversation, so go away."
"Come on, Misty, don't do this to me," Ash begged. "I'm worried about May, too, you know!"
"I know you are. I'm sure everyone else is, too. But May isn't ready to talk to everybody just yet, so please wait downstairs, okay?"
"What? Why not? What's wrong?"
"May was attacked, too, Ash."
"What? Her too? Do you know what did it?"
"No. Now please, let us be?"
"All right, fine." Ash submitted. "Take your time. But I'm holding a meeting later tonight. I want to talk to everybody about what's been going on, and May has to be there. She doesn't have to talk to anyone if she doesn't want to, but she has to be there to hear it. I don't want anyone giving her second-hand information. And May... I'm sorry. I really am. But I'm glad it wasn't as bad for you as it was for Misty."
"You have no idea," the teen girls thought.
"Okay, Ash. Now go tell the others they're not to disturb us either. We'll be down when we're ready."
Reluctantly, Ash did as he was told. Going down the stairs, he was met with the gazes of the rest of the men, each one's face asking the same question.
"Well? How is she?" James asked for them.
"She's awake. She locked the door and wouldn't let me see her. But that's fine for now. The important thing is she's alive..."
"I was asking about May," James said, crossing his arms.
"Oh! Yeah, like I said, Misty wouldn't let me see her. I don't know why. Max, do you know anything else?"
"Not really," Max said. "I was sitting here waiting for you guys to come back when all of a sudden I heard the basement door slowly open... I got a little freaked out. But no, I find that it's May, and she's got her back to me, and she just asks hello, is anyone there, you know, stuff like that, to the door, just crying and crying. I ran over to her and asked her what the matter was, and she asks me to go get Misty... I tried to tell her that Misty had been attacked by something and she was up in her room resting, but May wouldn't stop crying and kept asking me to get her anyway, so I went up to Misty's room and tried to wake her up. She did, and I told her the situation, and so Misty came down and started talking to May, and Misty took May to her room. Misty was supporting her like her leg was broken or something, but May walked just fine by herself. They've been in there for like, 20 minutes now. They wouldn't let me in, either. I was going to tell you that, but you just took off like a madman."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess I got so worked up about Misty that I completely forgot about May... heh."
"What should we do now?" Tracey asked.
"Nothing we
can do except wait for them to come out," Ash said, looking up towards the stairs, hoping he'd see the two girls. "But I think we can all agree that something is definitely wrong here, and I'm holding a meeting later tonight, once everyone's here... wait a minute. Where's Meowth?"
"He took off towards the kitchen the second he walked in," Brock said with a laugh.
Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. At least he's here and we know where he is. That just leaves Jessie and Shelly... has anyone seen them at all today?"
"I have," Tracey said, raising his hand. "I saw her in the pool this morning. James was looking for her, too, and he didn't get an answer from her room, so I figured she'd still be swimming."
"You guys were there," Ash said, looking at Brock and Max. "Did you see her?"
"I ran into her on my way in," Max said. "Literally. I apologized, but she didn't even so much as look at me. Just excused herself and left. It was weird."
"She left? Did you see where she went?"
"I saw her walk out the front door. That's it. I didn't ask where she was headed."
"So now Jessie's missing, too? Wonderful... all right, you guys, listen up. No one leaves this house. Got it?" He looked at the everyone in turn to make sure they understood. "I want everyone in here after dinner. You all can go about your business until then, but I want someone out here at all times to ensure that one of you will see either Jessie or Shelly come back. We'll all take turns doing hour-long shifts. I don't care if you're going to be bored. Go to the library and bring some books. But there
will be someone out here at all times. I'll go first. James, you're next, followed by Tracey, Brock, Max, and then we'll repeat as needed. If the girls come downstairs, tell them to find me. No complaints, all right? We're dealing with something bad and I don't want anyone else getting hurt. Everyone understand?"
A few murmurs of agreement from the other guys, and everyone agreed to go their separate ways for the time being.
Like he said, Ash sat guard first. For a while he just paced around the main room, looking at the various paintings that Giovanni had strewn across the walls, taken aback a bit when he realized that they were all done by Giovanni himself. Ash quickly became bored with this, however, and passed his shift simply lolling about on the couch, nearly falling asleep before James came to relieve him, journal in one hand and a thick book in the other.
"Wakey wakey," the blue-haired man said with a smile.
"Finally. I was getting bored," Ash yawned, stretching his legs. "No sign of your partner."
"Yeah... I know. I've been camping out by her bedroom. I don't want to miss her. I'm becoming increasingly worried about her," James said forlornly.
"Really? Why?"
"Oh, well, you know, she's just up and vanished, it seems..."
"Well, who knows, maybe she'll come through those doors in the next hour," Ash shrugged. "I'm gonna go bother the girls and see if Misty will let me see May."
With a wave, Ash left James to his post and casually headed up the stairs to May's bedroom. This time, instead of trying to force his way in, he opted to knock instead.
Hearing the door unlock, Ash was pleased to see his best friend's face appear in the doorway.
"Is anyone else with you?" Misty asked.
Looking around to make sure, Ash replied. "Nope, no one here but me. Why, what's up?"
"Come inside, quickly," she urged, opening the door a bit more so Ash could slip inside. Once in, Misty locked the door again. "I was just coming to get you," she said, sitting down next to her female friend.
Ash kneeled down in front of May and looked into her eyes, unaware that she was not staring back. "Hey," he began. "Are you okay?"
May reached out with her hands and touched his face, and couldn't stop herself from crying a little. "Oh, Ash..." she wept, falling onto him in an embrace.
A very confused Ash Ketchum brought the sad girl to her feet, "May, wh-what's going on, why are you crying? Is it really that bad?"
"I can't see..." she managed to say through her tears.
"Well hey, that's because you're still crying. Now come on, dry those eyes and tell me what's wrong..."
"I did!" she practically screamed at him, causing the boy to release his grip of her. "I'm sorry... Ash..." she dried her face off as best she could and opened her eyes as wide as she could, the fact that she could see nothing out of them almost enough to make her cry all over again. "I can't... see..."
Taking a closer look, Ash gasped as he realized what she meant. Indeed, May's eyes seemed to be... glazed, covered in an ever-so-faint milky white film. He hugged his friend once more. "What did this to you?"
A flood of horrible, yet recent, memories rushing back to her, May trembled in Ash's hands. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered.
"What? Why not?"
"Ash, just trust her, okay?" Misty interrupted. "She told me, and... just drop it. I want to cry just thinking about it. Please?"
Holding his friend tight and giving her a reassuring squeeze, Ash simply nodded at Misty's request. But he wasn't about to leave without any information. "Well then... what
can you tell me?"
"Look at my stomach," May instructed, lifting her shirt up a bit so Ash could see. Faintly visible were three small, round bruises lined up in a row. "Misty says I have markings there." She traced her fingers over her stomach where the fading bruises were.
Ash moved May's hand away so he could inspect her injuries himself, kneeling down to get a closer look. "Yeah, these are just like--" he looked over at the redheaded girl, "--like the ones you had. How are you doing? Is there any pain?" he asked, reaching for Misty's shirt to see for himself.
His hand was promptly slapped away. "No!" Misty scolded. "Bad Ash." Carefully raising her own shirt to expose her stomach, Ash compared the two girls' injuries.
"Misty, your bruises are still pretty dark... does it hurt?"
"If I put pressure on it, it does... but otherwise, no, not at all," she said, lightly poking the area where she'd been hit. "May said she was attacked by a Weavile. Her description of it perfectly describes the Pokemon that we encountered, Ash."
"Yeah, I know. James said the same thing. Did you know I killed that thing after it hit you? Stabbed it in the head. But... well, the guys and me, we went back out there to find the body, and it was gone."
"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" May asked, desperately wanting to shake her feelings of uselessness by participating in the conversation.
"I mean it was gone. Like someone or something came and took it. James thinks that since Weavile aren't native to this area, it had to have belonged to someone, probably Giovanni, and here's the kicker - it's one of three."
"More? There are more?" May whimpered.
"Yeah, probably... and what really sucks is that we have no idea what
else is here... anyway, I'll leave you two be for now. Remember, meeting later, okay? Right downstairs."
"Yes, I know. We'll be there," Misty said, putting a comforting arm around May.
Ash left the two teen girls to their business, and went about his own, trying to make sense of the situation. After checking back with James to see if Jessie had returned yet (she hadn't), he retired to his room to sleep a bit before the meeting, making mental notes of the things he'd talk about.
Later that evening, after everyone had eaten (and the two older girls had returned, though Tracey had said they wouldn't talk about their whereabouts), Ash gathered each person in the main hall, making sure May and and Misty had been there beforehand, at May's request, to avoid looking suspicious. When everybody had been seated, Ash called everyone to attention.
"Okay guys... it's the end of day four and we're all in one piece. That's good. Jessie, Shelly, I don't know where you guys have been all day, but it's unimportant. What
is important is that you two are both safe. Now, I understand you all know why I called you all here... we're not alone on this island," Ash began, pacing around, looking at each person in turn.
"Now then, let me go over today's events so we're all up to speed. At about 11 A.M. today, Misty asked me to accompany her to the waterfall, saying she wanted to see it. I agreed, and the two of us spent about an hour getting ready and preparing a picnic lunch.
"Twelve P.M. Misty and I leave for the waterfall. Based on what I heard from Max, May also wanted to go to the waterfall, and left some time after we did in an attempt to catch up to us.
"Roughly 90 minutes later, at 1:30 P.M, Misty and I encounter a strange Pokemon. It's small, black, and has sharp claws. It appears hostile and is acting like it's going to pick a fight with us. After trying to convince it that we mean no harm to it, it hits Misty with an Ice Punch attack. She's immediately knocked unconscious, and her internal organs slowly start to shut down from the freeze effect. Misty starts to die. I freak out.
"This thing starts laughing, and in a fit of rage I broke off a branch and batted that thing into a tree. I then proceeded to drive that branch into its skull, killing it. Leaving it there, I dropped everything and carried Misty back here, where James was able to save her life by curing her freezing."
"James saved me?" Misty thought to herself, looking towards the man sitting across from her.
"I thought for sure Ash did..."
"After putting Misty to bed, I formed a group consisting of myself, James, Brock, and Tracey, in order to go find the body of what attacked us so James could identify it, and also to search for May. After reaching the spot where Misty and I had been attacked, the four of us found no trace of the strange Pokemon ever having been there. James then suggested that the Pokemon that attacked us was a Weavile. Shelly, do you know what that is? I imagine you're the only one here who might not know."
"I was born in Sinnoh," the slender woman said, crossing her legs. "So yes, I'm familiar with Weavile."
"Good, then it's one less thing I have to explain. James thinks there are at least two more Weavile other than what I killed, and they're probably Giovanni's. And after what happened today, Misty, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to say "I told you so." It's pretty obvious to me now that Giovanni is trying to kill us all.
"Now, my next topic... what happened to May?
to be continued in the next post because of the word limit monster
. Such a sad chapter. Great though.