RE: Matt's Pokemon Story (at long last, chapter 8)
Word count: about 13,000
OKAY I LIED SO WHAT >:[
All right, it's the moment I guess y'all have been waiting for... chapter eight. Ash and his friends arrive in Orre to join up with Shelly, Jessie, James, and Meowth. Misty also explains herself a bit regarding what happened, so hopefully that oughta make up a bit for the scene in chapter six, which I agree was a bit rushed.
Enjoy!
(bonus points if you figure out where the Rocket chaperones' names come from)
(bonus points if you spot the Tales of Legendia reference)
Chapter Eight: Arrival
Operation Ketchum, Day 10
It's already been a week since Jessie and I arrived in Orre. Ash and his friends still haven't arrived, which has me a little worried. I hope Giovanni hasn't done anything shady behind our backs. Jessie is growing more and more impatient with me because I have no way to back up my claim that Giovanni wants us dead. To be honest... I have no idea how I'm going to do that. Maybe Ash knows something... I only hope that Jessie won't act before I get some solid evidence.
Shelly and Meowth have been spending a lot of time together. I'm kinda jealous. She's forgiven me for the incident when we first met, for which I'm thankful, but honestly, I'm still a little suspicious of her. She spends a lot of time away from the house, and every time I ask her where she's been, I get the same answer - "It's a lady's secret." I talked to Jessie about it, and - big surprise here - she dismissed it as paranoia. Jessie was pretty indifferent to her for the first three or four days, but once Shelly mentioned that she once tied up and tortured an ex-boyfriend of hers because he was unfaithful to her, they quickly became friends. It was a little frightening to listen to them talk...
I've learned a few new things:
- In the master bedroom - the one Shelly took - is a large safe. I'm not sure what's in it. Shelly suggested there may be firearms in there, but I'm not sure why Giovanni would need them, which reminds me:
This island is deserted. Meowth and I have been exploring this island top to bottom for the past few days. Most of it is forested area. A couple miles out, there is a large waterfall. And much to my dismay, there are no Pokemon at all. Not a single one. However...
I found a boat. On the west side of the house, I found a large motorboat. It lies at the end of some forest a few miles out. I investigated, and I found many interesting things - flares, a radio, and strangest of all, four or five Poke Ball belts. There were no Poke Balls, though, which struck me as a bit odd. I took the flares with me back to the house. They're currently underneath my bed. My room is at the end of the hallway on the west side. I chose it because I like the view. It's nice. Jessie kept the room I put her in when I first met Shelly, and Meowth sleeps in here with me.
There's only one exit. It's odd, but there's only one way out of here, and that's through the front door. There are no fire escapes or anything... it kinda makes me feel uneasy being up here. I estimate it's about a 15 or 20 foot drop from my window. At least it's nice and large, so I can fit through it if I need to escape. Not looking forward to that, though...
Until next time.
James sighed, closing his notebook and placing the pencil in the binding. He rubbed his right wrist as he looked out his window.
"We may not be able to see land, but at least the sunrises are beautiful," he pondered, taking in the sight of the morning sun coming over the horizon and its coloring of the ocean. As he was looking away, something caught his eye. Looking back, he could see a figure with long, curly red hair walking towards the landing pad.
"Shelly... what's she doing up so early?" James watched as the woman stopped at the water's edge and took something from her pocket.
"Looks like... man, I can't see. A... radio? A phone?" He opened the window and peered out of it to get a better look, but she was too far away to see clearly. She held the device up to her ear.
"Must be. But who's she talking to?"
Whoever it was, their conversation was brief; she had put the phone back almost as quickly as she had pulled it out. James quickly shut the window to his bedroom, hoping she was unaware of his spying.
"That was close..." He peeked out a corner of the window to check on the woman. She was walking back towards the house, seemingly oblivious to him. James quietly stepped out of his bedroom, careful not to awaken his sleeping companion, and made his way down the large stairwell to the foyer. He sat on the couch facing the door and waited for Shelly to walk in.
A few seconds later, she did just that, not noticing the man sitting some 30 feet away from her. She slipped inside and quietly closed the door behind her. "Good morning, Shelly," James said mysteriously. Shelly nearly fainted from the shock this brought her.
She spun around to meet his gaze. "Geez! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?!" she yelled quietly.
James stood up and walked slowly towards the girl, his eyes never leaving hers. "I wouldn't dream of it. So, tell me... what are you doing up so early? Dressed and everything?"
Shelly crossed her arms. "I could ask you the same thing."
James stopped a few feet away from the girl and raised an eyebrow. "Way to avoid my question."
Shelly sighed. "I was enjoying the sunrise. Sometimes I go out and watch the sun come up. Is that a crime?"
James, tired with beating around the bush, decided to get straight to the point. "I saw you talking to someone on the phone. Who was it?"
"You were spying on me?"
"Answer my question."
"I can't believe you spied on me! What kind of a man are you?!"
"You're not answering my question."
Shelly put her hands on her hips in disgust. "Ugh! You sicken me. Not that it's any of your business, but I was talking to my boyfriend."
"What's his name?"
She hesitated for a minute. "G...G-George."
"Having some trouble remembering your boyfriend's name, I see."
"That's not it!" she protested. "I... I don't perform well under stress. You're stressing me out, James. I get all red and flustered and hot and.... and..." she fanned herself with her hands and suddenly became very fidgety.
James looked at her oddly. "Calm down, calm down... I'm sorry. I've just been on edge lately... I'll leave you alone now." He waved at her as he went back up the stairs to his bedroom.
The girl breathed an audible sigh of relief.
"That was close..."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Tracey woke up early the next morning. He hadn't even bothered to change out of his clothes from yesterday, and it was then he realized that he had no clothes to wear for the rest of the week.
"Well, that's wonderful," he said to himself with a chuckle. Opening to the door to his room for the first time since yesterday evening, he slowly crept down the hallway towards the stairs. Passing Ash's bedroom, he caught a glimpse of Ash leaning against the wall, with Misty curling up in his lap. He nearly gasped loudly at the sight of her, but caught himself in time.
"Wh...what's she doing here?" he thought as he silently made his way downstairs to the kitchen, where he found Brock already awake, dressed, and making breakfast.
"Ah, Tracey, good morning! You doing all right?"
"Yes, I am... thank you. I just got a little shook up last night, that's all." He spotted May and Max sawing logs on the floor in the living room. He heard some unearthly, grunting kind of noises, each almost like a drawn-out snort. Drawing closer, he saw that these vile noises were coming from the beauty that slept before him.
"Wow, Max wasn't kidding, that chick has some serious nasal problems..." He took a seat at the kitchen table. Brock joined him, sipping his coffee. "Did you know that Ash and Misty are sleeping together?"
Brock nearly spit up his coffee at this remark. He coughed a few times. "What?!"
"Yeah. She's in his room, sound asleep, right in Ash's lap. He's sleeping sitting up. He doesn't look very comfortable."
"Oh,
that's what you mean. Heh heh... well, I didn't know she was actually in Ash's bed, but yes, I knew Misty was here." Brock removed himself from the table and went back to the stove. "I'm making eggs. Any requests?"
"Oh, no thanks, I'll just make some toast or something," Tracey said, not particularly paying attention.
"I wonder if Misty knows I'm here... did Ash tell her I wouldn't be here?" "Brock, does Misty know that I'm here?"
"What?" Brock asked, turning away from his cooking. "I don't know, maybe. She told us all that she came in without anyone noticing... it's possible she didn't see you. I mean, door's right there, it's maybe 10 feet to the stairs, so it's possible she didn't see you, although if you think about it, I think I'd notice someone entering a house and going up a flight of stairs, wouldn't you?"
"Yeah... hey, Brock, you wouldn't happen to have a bunch of extra clothes I could wear on the trip, do you? For some reason, I didn't realize until now that I came straight here from Cerulean City. I don't have a thing to wear other than this. I'd ask Ash, but I don't think his clothes would fit me. We're more the same size, I think."
"I agree. I probably have some stuff you could use. I'll take you to Pewter City after I finish eating, how's that
sound?"
"That sounds nice. Thanks." Tracey stepped outside to sample the crisp morning air. The sun was nearly risen, and town life still had not begun for the day, although there were a few early risers out and about for walks, or doing chores. Tracey stretched his limbs and let out a mighty yawn. It was such a pretty morning, he thought to himself. He let himself back in the house, where Brock was already cleaning up from cooking. "Finished already?"
"Ah... yeah. I eat fast. It's kind of a let down after spending so much time cooking it, you know what I mean?"
"No, not really. I don't think I've ever cooked a meal in my life."
"Oh, well, it's fine. So, shall we go? I'll just leave a note for the others, and I'll meet you out there, okay?"
"Yeah, sure thing." Tracey put his shoes on and returned outside. Brock came out a couple minutes later.
"All right, let's get out of here," Brock said, walking towards his car. It was a convertible, brown in color, with stone gray streaks.
"You have the ugliest car I have ever seen in my life," Tracey said as he got in Brock's sweet ride.
"Hey, no making fun of Sheila, or you're walking," Brock joked.
"Please tell me that's the name of your girlfriend, and not your car."
"Yeah, it's the car," Brock said with a laugh, as the two drove off into the distance.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
About an hour later, Misty had awakened. Her stirring caused her pillow to wake up as well. It yawned loudly. "What time is it?" the girl asked no one in particular, looking for a clock.
"Too early," Ash said lazily, closing his eyes again. He clutched Misty's hand under the covers. "Go back to sleep."
"No, I can't, I'll sleep all day if I don't," she said, removing herself from the bed. Ash frowned, not only from this action, but now he was cold as well. He took the blanket and wrapped himself in it. "You know, you really should get up, too. When are we leaving? How are we even getting there?"
"Sometime later today, and we're being picked up," Ash stated matter-of-factly, wrapped tightly in the blanket.
"Well, I'm going to go shower. I expect to see you up and about by the time I'm done!"
Ash mumbled some incoherent reply. Misty sighed in disgust and left. Walking downstairs, she expected to find Brock slaving over the stove, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, on the table, she found a piece of paper with a message scribbled on it.
"Went to get Tracey some new duds. Be back soon, Brock and Tracey." Taking some clothes from her suitcase, she shut herself in the bathroom.
Setting her clothes to the side, she turned the shower on, her mind racing.
"I can't ignore him forever. I said I was going to forgive him, but can I do it so easily? I still get uncomfortable just thinking about him." Turning the water to an acceptable heat and removing her clothes, she began to whistle a tune in an attempt to take her mind off the boy.
"Oh, that's not gonna work... I'm not going to be able to rest easy until I get this over with. I'll talk to him in private when he comes back."
She entered the shower, instantly feeling awakened and refreshed by the steam and water.
"Oh, that feels so good... But what do I say to him? Ah, I probably shouldn't think about it too much. He's probably just as uneasy as I am about the whole thing," she thought as she reached for some shampoo.
"I've cooled down considerably, but he doesn't know that. I have to make sure he understands that I'm not going to bite his head off or anything. I hope he's willing to accept my forgiveness."
She stopped as she realized what she'd said. What if Tracey rejected her offer for forgiveness? What if, for his entire life, Tracey felt so guilty that he refused to be forgiven? And worse, what if something happened at the mansion that killed her before she could be at peace? Resuming the washing of her hair, she silently dismissed such an idea.
"There's no way that'll happen. I bet he's been thinking about it too. He'll probably jump at the chance to be forgiven."
Upstairs, Ash Ketchum was lying awake in his bed with thoughts of his own.
"Man, what the heck was May thinking... stupid, stupid, stupid."
"You liked it, though," another part of his mind told him.
"No I didn't. I wish she never would have done it."
"Don't lie, you liked it. You wouldn't have kept going if you didn't."
"That's not true! I was the one to stop doing it."
"Yeah, if you really didn't like it, you would have stopped her right away."
Ash found it really hard to refute this voice in his head. Was it right? Was Ash really just trying to fool himself? As Ash pondered this, the inner voice spoke again.
"Exactly. It's not so bad, right? You're single, totally handsome, and you know she's good-looking. It wasn't so bad, right?"
Ash shook his head, dismissing the voice from his head. "I'm not interested in May like that," he said aloud. "Misty... just Misty." He left the comfort of his bed and made his way downstairs. Glancing at the note on the table, and then the two bodies in his living room, he raided his cupboards for something to eat. "Oh, yes! She bought more Willy-O's!" he exclaimed as he took the box and poured himself a bowl. Taking a seat at the table, he picked up the note and read it, then put it back. He hummed to himself as he enjoyed his cereal.
Across the room, Misty emerged from the bathroom, dry and dressed. "Oh, good, you're up," she said, joining her friend in the kitchen. "What are you eating?"
"Willy-O's. My most favorite cereal of all time," Ash declared, shoving another spoonful in his mouth. "You look nice."
"Thank you. But I'm not really dressed up..." she looked at herself. Plain red shirt and shorts. This was the very definition of casual wear. Her hair was not styled, and hung loosely at her sides.
"I need a reason to compliment my friend on how she looks?"
"No, I suppose not..." Her eyes traveled back to the note on the table. "Do you think Tracey knows I'm here?"
Ash poured some more cereal. "Man, I cannot get enough of this stuff. What? I guess he does, why?"
"I don't want to leave without at least trying to make things right with him. Who knows what'll happen once we get there, you know?"
Ash grunted in affirmation, tearing into his cereal like it was going to get up and run away if he didn't eat it quickly.
"I was thinking... what if he doesn't let me forgive him? Vaporeon is counting on me!"
Ash laughed through bites of his cereal. "Are you crazy? Doesn't let you? Honey, he's dying to be forgiven. You won't have any problems with that. You're all he talks about with me."
"I hope you're right. I don't know what I'd do if... wait a second, did you just call me 'honey?'"
"Yeah. Is that a problem?"
"I would appreciate it if you didn't. I have a name, you know."
"All right, I'm sorry, I won't say it anymore," Ash said, slurping down the milk in his bowl. He sighed contentedly. "So good... anyway, I'm gonna go pack now. I can't believe I still haven't done that yet."
"Want some company? I don't really have anything else to do..."
"Sure, I don't mind, you wanna just meet me up there? I gotta clean up first."
"No, I'll wait..." she got up from the table and went into the bathroom as Ash somewhat regrettably put the cereal box away and rinsed out his bowl. Carrying the clothes she had worn last night, Misty followed her friend up the stairs to his bedroom.
Ash opened his closet and pulled a suitcase from it. As he rummaged through his drawers, Misty looked around his room aimlessly. Taking a seat on the boy's bed, she noticed the framed picture sitting on the table. "So you got this framed, too, huh?"
Ash didn't even need to look up from his packing to know what she meant. "Of course I did. That's like, my most important picture."
"Yeah... mine too," she said with a smile, replacing the photo next to the bed. She leaned against the wall and sighed contentedly, the memory fresh in her mind.
"That reminds me," Ash said, opening a different drawer. "Gotta bring the camera." He put it with the rest of his clothes. "If anything happens, I can get proof."
"Are you even going to have fun while you're there? You're totally missing the point of this trip. It's a vacation, not a conspiracy to end your life."
Ash sighed. "Okay, how about this - I can also use the camera to capture my friends having fun so I can remember them always. Is that better?"
"Oh yes, loads better," she deadpanned. "I'm going to go wait for Brock and Tracey to get back. I'll be downstairs if you need me."
"All right, sounds good," Ash said, not sensing the tinge of annoyance in the girl's voice.
Meanwhile, in the living room, the brother and sister pair from Hoenn were beginning to stir. May let out a mighty yawn and rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Morning, Misty."
"Good morning," Misty replied cheerfully, taking a seat in a chair in the living room where the other girl was. "Sleep well?"
"Mmm, yeah, actually I did..." she stood up and stretched. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she quietly moved over to where Misty was sitting. "So, did you get anywhere with Ash last night?" she asked quietly.
"What kind of question is that?!" Misty yelled, not paying any mind to the young boy nearby, beginning to wake.
"Well, I overheard you talking to Ash last night... did you really sleep with him?"
"Of course not. What kind of girl do you think I am?" Misty asked, arms crossed, when suddenly she realized the reason behind May's rather forward question. "That was a joke. I don't know if you heard him answer, but he totally didn't even catch the double meaning. And besides, even if he thought I'd
actually go through with it, he'd have had another thing coming." A pause. "And shame on you for eavesdropping."
"Hey, come on, don't be like that," May protested. "Besides, I wasn't eavesdropping... I simply heard. You guys
were talking like, right over there, not even 15 feet away from where me and Max were sleeping."
As if on cue, Max sat up and groaned. "Ugh, I can't wait until we get to Orre... geez May, snore loud enough? You kept me up half the night..." He yawned and put on his glasses.
"I'm a lady. I don't do things like that," May dissented.
"Oh yeah? I got a 3-minute recording on my phone says otherwise," the boy argued.
Misty sighed and excused herself while the two Hoenn siblings argued amongst themselves. Stepping out of the house, she stretched and drank in the cool morning air. Moments later, Brock and Tracey returned from their trip. When the two men got out of the car, Misty nearly fell over laughing at what they were wearing - matching brown suits and dark sunglasses.
"Cool Duo is back and we are stylin'!" said Brock, flashing a grin at the still-laughing Misty. "I'll have you know this is premium fabric imported from Hoenn, Misty. It really says something about a guy who wears stylish clothes such as these."
Tracey sighed quietly to himself, and without acknowledging the girl, went into the house and up to his room. Seeing this, Misty stopped laughing. "What's with him?'
"I have no idea. He was pretty quiet the whole time. It's weird. He challenged me for a Badge like, a week, two weeks ago, and he was real upbeat, energetic... you know, the Tracey we used to know. But now, man, I don't know what happened to him to turn him into Captain Depression. Maybe you should talk to him. He might open up to you."
"So, he's still afraid to talk to me... looks like I'll have to make the first move." "Yeah, maybe. I'll go talk to him right now."
Leaving Brock to talk with Ash, who had just finished his business upstairs, Max, and May, Misty went upstairs to make nice with her Pokemon's killer. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Carefully, Misty opened the door to the bedroom and slipped in. Closing it behind her, she sat on the bed next to the young man in the brown suit. "Nice suit."
Tracey didn't look at her when she spoke. "You don't really like it."
"Okay, fine, I don't, I'm just trying to break the ice."
Tracey let out a barely audible chuckle at this.
"Listen... about what happened... stop beating yourself up over it, okay?"
As if set free by magic words, Tracey opened up like a burst dam. "It's not okay! I took a life. I'm
so sorry, Misty, I really am."
"I know... And I'm sorry I ruined your camera... and your drawings. They really were good. No matter the circumstances, it was out of line for me to behave that way."
"Not at all. Please don't think you have to apologize for my stupidity. I only did it for the sake of my work. I really should have used my head a little more."
Misty smiled. "And I forgive you for it."
Taken aback, Tracey actually looked down at the girl speaking to him. "Y-you do?"
Misty nodded. "Yeah. I do. I know it was an accident. And besides, what do I have to gain by not forgiving you? I value our friendship. We have such good memories of our days together. I don't want it to end because of a freak accident."
She looked at Tracey and smiled. She had finally said the words Tracey had been longing to hear since that tragic day. And yet, despite the joy she felt from seeing the smile on Tracey's face, and the feeling of having a great burden lifted from her shoulders, a voice in her head would not let her off so easily.
"You're a liar..." it taunted.
"Those were my thoughts exactly. You have no idea how happy this makes me, Misty, really. Thank you."
Misty paid the nagging voice no mind. "Don't mention it. Ash told me about how you've been talking to him a lot about it... so I thought I'd come to you as soon as possible and get everything sorted out, you know?"
Tracey laughed. "Did he really say that? Well, it's true. I've been thinking about it a lot, but I really didn't think you wanted anything to do with me."
"For a time, I didn't. I didn't know what to do after losing Vaporeon. I know I wished some pretty horrible things on you... I don't wish them anymore, of course." She hesitated before delivering that last line, the voice that was plaguing her filling her head with its doubts.
"Glad to hear it." Tracey jumped off the bed and extended a hand to help Misty to her feet as well. "I feel so much better now. I can hardly put it into words! I feel so... free." He hugged his friend tightly. "I'm so glad we were able to work this out."
Misty returned the action, her own inner voice drowning out Tracey's words.
"He killed your Pokemon. Your precious Pokemon. Are you really going to let him off that easy?" it asked. "Yes," she replied.
"Yes? Yes what?" Tracey inquired.
Misty silently cursed as she realized she'd said that out loud. "Yes... I'm... happy too," she lied, wishing she'd more intently listened to what Tracey had said.
Tracey saw right through it. "You don't sound happy."
Misty sighed and looked away.
"I have to stay honest... okay." She took a deep breath. "I... I don't know if I really can forgive you."
Tracey's heart sank like a rock. Was she serious? He let her go and turned away from her. "I see."
"Please don't be that way," Misty said quietly. "I really do want to, but there's a voice in my head that won't go away. It keeps telling me not to forgive you so easily. And well..." she trailed off, remembering the warning of the mysterious woman from her nightmare. "If I'm being bothered by it so much, maybe I am rushing things, you know?" Tracey didn't say anything to her, still heartbroken over Misty's confession. He sighed to himself, cursing himself for thinking he'd get off this easily. Misty kept talking. "But hey, I'm not mad at you, okay? Even if there's something that won't let me forgive you right away, I'm not going to avoid you or anything. You're still my friend. Right?"
"Right," the man replied, still not giving the young lady eye contact. There was an awkward silence between the two, each in their own thoughts.
"That's reasonable. I did kill her Pokemon, after all... And at least she tried to forgive me... right? Oh, what am I complaining for? I have no business being upset at all. I should feel lucky she's even willing to speak to me."
"Maybe he deserves to know the truth..." Misty pondered.
"He was so happy..." She sat on the bed again and sighed. "Come sit next to me," she beckoned. The boy wordlessly and without argument did as he was asked. Looking at the floor for the courage to speak, she began her tale.
"I'm sure Ash told you about my... accident."
"Yeah, he did," Tracey said quietly. "We were all shocked, to say the least."
"Did he tell you anything else?"
"No... only that someone tried to kill you. Why?"
Misty hesitated for a moment, finding it very hard to actually say the words she had thought to herself many times before. "I..." She paused, hanging her head in shame. "I did it."
Tracey said nothing at this. He repeated her words in his head, as if to make sure he understood her correctly. Was she for real? The expression on her face - a mixture of sadness, shame, and a hint of anger - made it clear to him that she wasn't kidding, but there was one glaring question Tracey wanted answered.
"Why?"
"To sum it up, I fought a battle with my emotions... and my emotions won. It all happened so quickly... The day after the accident, I went to Lavender Town and got Vaporeon cremated. The urn is light blue, and it's got little dark blue swirlies all around it... it's really pretty," she said with a small smile, trying hard not to cry. Tracey smiled a bit on the inside at Misty's admission that the unfortunate accident was just that - an accident.
"A couple days later, Ash came to see me," she continued. "Well, I guess it was more like asking me to come with him on his trip rather than to see me, which I thought was kinda insensitive. Truth be told, I really like him, and as long as I'm being honest, I really wanted to go, but I was mad at him for pestering me so much about it that I yelled at him and told him to go home. That didn't make matters any better.
"I spent my time in Lavender Town just keeping a low profile, you know? I saw some sights, read a little, just trying to keep my mind off Vaporeon. Whole lot of good that did," she said with a chuckle. "I reluctantly went back home with Vaporeon's urn and tried my best to put on a good front for everyone, but it wasn't easy. I had a battle with some kid and his Wailmer right after I got back... it was a disaster. I couldn't stop thinking about Vaporeon. I was so afraid to hurt his Pokemon that I hardly launched any attacks. Thankfully, my Pokemon weren't too badly injured, but he really did a number on me."
"That reminds me," Tracey interrupted. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but you just reminded me of something - Starmie. How is it? It was really hurt in our battle."
"Yeah, it's fine. I got it treated right after you and Ash left the Gym, actually. I was still a mess. My shirt was all wet, my face was all red from crying so much, which I realized later had really wrecked my makeup. Nurse Joy was really nice about the whole thing didn't ask me any questions about me, just focused on getting Starmie healed. I left it behind when I went to Lavender Town, and it was good as new when I returned. I didn't use it in my most recent battle, though." A pause. "Thanks for asking."
"I have to. I was worried about it. I can't believe I forgot to ask you about it."
"It's fine. Anyway... I did an okay job with pretending everything was fine after coming home. I didn't tell anyone my real reason for leaving. I had one of my sisters watch the Gym while I was away. I just told her that I needed a vacation, which was true, in part.
"While I was able to put on a good act during the day, nights really tore me up. The night after Vaporeon died, I never felt so alone in my life. Lying in my bed, in the dark, what happened had finally begun to sink in. I cried the whole night. I desperately wanted someone, anyone, to hold, just so I wouldn't feel so alone, you know? I couldn't sleep. I'd have nightmares about it." She shuddered internally at that last line, recounting her most recent experience. "Last night was the first time I slept peacefully since it happened... I suppose you're waiting for me to get to the climax of my little tale, huh?" she asked.
"Misty, I... I had no idea," Tracey stammered, ignoring Misty's question. "Really. I figured you were grieving, but... I really am sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Besides, to be honest, it feels good to talk about it, especially with you. That doesn't mean this is easy, though... I don't think I'd be able to talk to Ash about this. Not yet..." she trailed off.
"What? You mean Ash doesn't know that you--"
"No," she quickly cut him off. "Let me finish, okay?"
The young man said nothing, nodding his head. Misty took a deep breath and continued. "Yesterday morning, I was up early cleaning, feeling like trash as usual, making a futile effort at not thinking about Vaporeon. The rest of it's kinda hazy, but I distinctly remember looking in the pool. I thought to myself, 'I don't want to live without her. She was just a child... she'd hardly had a chance to live before she died. It's so unfair...' and it was then the idea of killing myself entered my head. I don't even think I was serious about it at first, but with the way I was at the time, I think I would have done anything to have her back.
"And then there was that voice again - that same nagging voice that insists I'm not being honest when I said I forgive you - telling me to forgive you! Of course, I wouldn't even listen to it, since I was still angry at you. And so, my better judgment clouded by my feelings, I got into the water. And right after I got in, I felt... at peace. It was weird. I felt as if Vaporeon was guiding me to her. I kinda floated there for a while, letting this overpowering calmness wash over me. Then I swam to the bottom. The last thing I remember was just feeling totally content. I wasn't afraid of dying. I didn't even care. Vaporeon was waiting for me. I closed my eyes and let myself be taken by the water.
"Some time after I swam to the bottom of the pool, Ash came to the Gym, most likely to pester me about his trip. He saved me after finding me floating on the pool's surface. I woke up in the hospital after the worst nightmare I've ever had in my life, one I hope you'll excuse me for not recounting."
"Of course. So that's why Ash doesn't know what you did," Tracey reasoned.
"Yes. He thinks I was attacked. So does Officer Jenny."
"You lied to the police?"
"Oh, that's not the half of it. I also lied to my doctor, although I really don't think he believes me, and I also used Golduck to put him and some of the guards that Officer Jenny left at the Gym to sleep so I could escape. They've probably been discovered, but they won't wake up for some time. I'm really hoping we can get out of here as soon as we can."
Tracey was wide-eyed. "So you mean to tell me that the only one who knows what really happened..."
"...is you," Misty finished. "Please don't tell Ash or anyone else. I don't want him to worry about me."
"He's going to worry regardless of whether or not you tell him. But I won't say anything. You have my word."
"Thank you... my, look at the time," Misty said, taking a look at her watch. "Sorry I took so long."
"Oh no, not at all! I'm thankful you would share your story with me."
"I'm glad. Listen, about the whole forgiving thing, voice or not, I'm not mad at you anymore. It's in the past. And dwelling in the past isn't going to do either of us any good."
"Right," Tracey said with a smile. He hugged his friend with one arm. "Well, what do you say we go join the others? I'm sure they're wondering what's taking so long."
Misty smiled back at him and returned his gesture. "Yeah, no doubt." She stood up and, opening the door, found Ash Ketchum standing in the doorway, fist raised.
"Oh, hey guys, am I interrupting anything?" he asked.
"No, we're finished." Misty answered.
"Great. So... you guys work everything out okay, or..."
"Yeah. It's fine. We've worked things out."
"Oh, awesome." Ash looked past the girl to his other friend behind her. "See, man, I told you everything would be all right."
"So you did, Ash. What brings you here? We were just on our way downstairs."
"Oh, right! First, Misty, the Cerulean City police just showed up at my door looking for you. Of course, I played the fool and told them I had no idea where you could be, but they told me that you were possibly abducted from the Gym last night and I should be on the lookout."
"Abducted, huh? Well... I guess that's reasonable, but as soon my doctor wakes up, he's going to be singing a different tune. Unfortunately, he saw my Golduck put him to sleep. So we don't have much time. When are we leaving?" Misty inquired.
"That's the second thing I wanted to talk about. The guy that's supposed to be picking us up, Jackson, called again, says he'll be here in three hours, and he emphasized again that no Pokemon will be allowed on the trip, and he'll be checking to make sure. May, Max, and Brock are already ready to go. Tracey, your suitcase is with Brock's." He paused. "Now for the bad news. Over the past week or so, my mom the motor mouth has told everyone in town about me leaving today. This is SOP for her - she loves to brag about me. That's not the bad part. The bad part is that I learned that the Cerulean City police actually made an emergency broadcast to talk about your disappearance. What this means is that everyone in Pallet Town, Pewter City, Cerulean City, and probably a good chunk of the rest of Kanto now knows you're missing. This is going to make leaving extremely difficult, as you will no doubt be spotted getting into the limo."
Misty and Tracey looked at each other, then back at Ash. "Oh, it gets worse. They told me they already locked down the underground path between Cerulean and Vermilion and closed off the path to Saffron City, so I have no idea how we're going to get to the airport, which the Saffron City police will undoubtedly be watching.
"To make matters even worse, we will most likely be followed by any given unit of police while passing through Cerulean City on our way to the airport. And considering that Team Rocket is our chaperone, it's going to raise a few eyebrows when they see not only me, but two respected Gym Leaders in their company. And not only that, Team Rocket will probably be blamed for your disappearance, which is going to cause even more trouble, and while I despise Team Rocket as a whole, even I can't sit and let them take heat for something they didn't do."
"Well, this is a fine turn of events," Tracey said, mildly annoyed. "But you know, Ash, this could work to our advantage."
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well, just think about it. With so many people aware of your trip, it's virtually impossible for Giovanni to try anything sneaky and have any hopes of getting away with it."
Ash's face lit up. "Heeeeeey, that's right! Good thinking! But there's still Misty. How are we going to get her out of here without being seen?"
"Let's head downstairs. Maybe the others will have a few suggestions."
No sooner had the three friends gone downstairs than a knock was heard at the door. Opening it, Ash stood face-to-face with a fairly tall man dressed in a black suit. On his chest was a pin that read "M. JACKSON" in gold letters. The man spoke confidently, but quietly. "Hello, Mr. Ketchum! I'm Jackson. We spoke on the phone earlier. Are you and your friends prepared to leave?"
"Whoa, what's going on? You said you'd be here in three hours!" Ash looked behind the man. There were no crowds, no news crews... nothing. Life in Pallet Town seemed... normal.
Jackson put a finger to his lips. "I'm sure you're mistaken. Now, then, are you ready?" He took a small item from his pocket that fit snugly into one of his hands. "This is what I'll be using to be certain that you won't be bringing any Pokemon along. It's a simple scanner. It won't do anything harmful to your Pokemon, so please don't be alarmed." As each person presented their suitcases for scanning, Jackson presented his device to each of them. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he put the scanner back into his pocket. "All right, everything looks in order. Giovanni sends his thanks for complying with his request. Now then, I will take the ladies' suitcases. Gentlemen, please grab your things and follow me."
Taking May and Misty's suitcases rather effortlessly in his hands, the four boys followed the older man outside to a car that looked identical to Brock's.
"Hey, what's the deal? You said a limo for us," Ash asked, growing more suspicious by the minute.
"There's been a slight change in plans," Jackson explained, putting all the suitcases in the car's trunk. "I'll explain on the way. Please, get in."
Each person did as Jackson instructed. Brock, Tracey, and May sat in the back seat, Max reluctantly sitting on Brock's lap, while Ash and Misty sat up front, with Ash in the middle. Jackson pressed a button on the dashboard. "Everyone, watch your heads, please," he warned as the convertible's roof came over the top of the car. "I apologize for this, but it's necessary to ensure your safety."
As he started the car and began the long drive to Saffron City, Ash demanded answers. "I think it's time you started explaining yourself, real quick."
Jackson ignored the boy's empty threat. "Of course. You see, we did have a limousine prepared for you and your friends, but because of your friend's reported disappearance, we've had to scramble to make some last-minute changes."
"How did you know about that?" Ash asked.
"We hadn't planned on telling you this, but we've been keeping tabs on you over the past few days. We put a few plainclothes agents in Pallet Town, Pewter City, and Cerulean City so we could keep an eye on you."
"I guess I shouldn't expect any less from Team Rocket," Ash spat.
Jackson dropped the formalities. "You oughta be thanking us, kid. It was thanks to our agents that we knew about the police looking for your friend there," he said, glancing quickly at Misty. "We saw the broadcast by the cops early this morning. I told you I'd be at your house in three hours just in case the cops might have tried some funny business by bugging your phone. The reason we don't have a limo for you is simply to avoid bringing unwanted attention to us. This is actually one of the boss's cars you're riding in." He looked at Brock through the rear view mirror. "It's an old model. I'm surprised you have one, mister."
"It was a gift from my father," Brock said plainly, a little suspicious of the man.
"Ah, is that so? The boss collects old cars. He and your old man might get along."
For a while after that, the journey to Saffron City was a quiet one. As they neared Cerulean City, Misty spoke up. "Ash, you said they blocked the path from Cerulean City to Saffron City, right? How are we going to get there?"
"We're not going to Saffron City," Jackson answered. "We know the cops are watching the airport. I actually confirmed this myself before I left. There's an abandoned field right near Rock Tunnel where you will be taken to the mansion by helicopter. As for getting out of Cerulean City..." he glanced at his watch. "They should be replacing the guard by now. A couple of our agents will intercept them and allow us to pass, hopefully without being seen."
"And if we are?" Ash questioned. "This city's pretty big. You mean no one's gonna notice us go through?"
"Our men were instructed to stay on guard until the commotion dies down. They are to tell anyone who asks that this car is part of the investigation regarding her disappearance," Jackson replied, motioning to Misty once more. "We have it all taken care of. And miss--" another quick glance at Misty, "--you may want to keep your head down until we're out of the city. We don't want anyone seeing you."
"Oh! Yes, um..." Misty leaned to the left and put her head in Ash's lap, wrapping one of her arms around his legs in an attempt to keep her shoulders low. "Is this good enough?"
"Hey, we're trying to avoid suspicion, not attract it, but..." Jackson looked around. No one seemed to be paying attention to them. "Doesn't really look like we're attracting much attention. I don't think anyone can see your head. Just stay down there until I give the word, okay?"
"Okay," the girl answered back.
"Oh, man, this is so awkward..."
The group wordlessly passed through the city. "All right, we'll be coming up on the exit shortly... I see our agents are already in place," Jackson said as he passed by them, giving a slight nod towards the Rocket man on guard, who nodded back. After ensuring they were a safe distance from town, Jackson gave the signal. "Okay, miss, we're in the clear. You can sit up now."
The young lady did as she was told, much to Ash's dismay.
"I can see it!" Max exclaimed, looking out his window, his first words since leaving. "The helicopter!"
The other youths looked in the direction Max was to see it, too. It was large and black, emblazoned with a large red capital R on the side. "That's it, all right," Jackson confirmed. "It's the boss's private helicopter. You all should feel very lucky to ride in it."
A few minutes later, the gang had arrived at their destination. A tall woman with curly blonde hair was waiting for them nearby. She had a very lean figure, and she wore a full-length black dress. On her chest was a pin similar to the one Jackson wore, reading "S. FILIBUSTER" in the same gold letters.
She opened the door for Misty, and then May behind her. "Hey, Shar," Jackson said as he stepped out of the vehicle, flashing a grin. "Everything all set?" He opened the car's trunk and began to remove its contents.
The woman nodded. "We're all ready to go."
"Excellent," Jackson said, taking May and Misty's suitcases in hand. "Follow me, everyone." The seven of them walked the short distance to the large black helicopter. Shar opened the door and climbed inside, taking each person's suitcase as it was handed to her by Jackson. Each person then boarded the aircraft in turn, taking a seat where he or she pleased. The inside of it was certainly large enough for all to be seated comfortably. Max took great pleasure in this, as he stretched his arms and legs after being secured by Shar.
After the rest of the group had been buckled in place, Shar gave one last look to Jackson. She looked into his eyes and said nothing - Jackson did the same. He merely nodded his head and turned to leave as Shar locked the helicopter from the inside. She turned to the others and introduced herself.
"I'm Shar. I'll be your pilot today. As you all know, we're headed to the boss's private island retreat in Orre. It's the very definition of secluded; there's no land as far as the eye can see, and no Pokemon have taken up residence there. Don't let that get you down, though. There's a beautiful waterfall, endless amounts of beaches, and lush forests for your viewing pleasure. The mansion also has multiple bedrooms, a sauna, an extensive library, a workout room, a pool, and much more that you are free to find for yourselves once arriving. Giovanni regrets that he could not be here personally to see you off, but he sends his regards, and especially looks forward to meeting with you, Mr. Ketchum, in a week's time. I ask that you please stay seated and buckled in for the duration of the flight. Our ETA is roughly one hour. Does anyone have any questions?" She looked around. The others looked amongst themselves, all shaking their heads. "Splendid. Well, you may talk amongst yourselves. Have a pleasant flight." She disappeared into the cockpit.
"So, this is it," Ash broke the silence as the helicopter slowly lifted into the air. He looked over to Brock. "You doing all right, man?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks," Brock said, not looking out the window, as the others were, enjoying the view. "If it's only for an hour, it shouldn't be too bad."
"Did you hear about all the stuff Shar mentioned?" May asked no one in particular, hands clasped in excitement. "I can't wait to relax in the sauna..."
"Yeah, that sounds really nice," Tracey added. "How nice would it be to wind down in the sauna after a nice workout... it seems Giovanni's got everything."
"Don't you guys think that's a little weird?" Ash inquired. "That Giovanni would have just the right things we like?"
"Not at all," Max chimed in. "It's not his fault that we just happen to like his mansion. It's been there for who knows how long before he invited you, so you can't blame him for having stuff we like. No doubt he's an incredibly wealthy man; I'm sure his mansion is full of surprises."
"Loosen up, Ash," Misty said, taking her companion's hand. "We're here to have fun. What's the worst that could happen?"
"Well, Giovanni could blow up his house with us all in it. Air strike while we're sleeping, anyone? Like Max said, he's incredibly wealthy; I'm sure he can just replace everything he loses."
All was quiet, save for the loud hum of the helicopter.
"Ash, come on, get real. No one's going to blow up anything," Misty reassured.
Ash grumbled to himself and looked out the window.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"This is quite relaxing," James thought to himself, seated in a large recliner in Giovanni's library. He was reading a book on Pokemon evolution. As he idly flipped through the pages, his radio began beeping.
"That's weird," he said aloud. "Who could be calling this frequency?" He took the radio from the table nearby where he had set it and pressed a button on it. "This is James."
"James!" a voice bellowed into the speaker. "This is your generous boss speaking. Is Jessie with you?"
"No, sir. I believe she's gone for a swim."
"Spare me the details. Listen up, James. There was a small delay in my plan. I have been informed that Ash has five people with him. They are en route to the mansion as we speak. They should be there any minute. I don't want to hear from either of you until every last one of them is dead. Do I make myself clear?"
"...yes, sir."
"Good! I hope asking you to inform Jessie of my message isn't too difficult for you."
"...no, sir."
"Giovanni really knows how to kill a guy's spirits," James thought to himself. He opened his mouth again to speak, but he was cut off.
"And remember! I've got a huge bonus for each of you if you don't mess this up! But be warned, James, I'm not a patient man. I expect to hear from you with good news in seven days. If you screw up this time, there will be no second chances!"
"But sir--" James stammered. But it was too late. The line was dead.
"I really should have told him sooner about Shelly..."
Meanwhile, on Giovanni's end, he quickly switched frequencies on his radio and called another number. "This is Giovanni. Did you get the Pokemon?...Excellent. What's that?...There is, is there? I should have known those idiots would pull a stunt like that. Dispose of him too. But nothing! That's an order! Do I make myself clear?!...Good. Giovanni out."
Turning off his radio, he turned his chair to look through his window, surveying his self-proclaimed kingdom of Saffron City, confident that this plan would not fail. It could not fail. He'd taken every step, every precaution, to ensure its success.
Or so he thought.
Back on the island, James was on his way to find his partner. Checking the pool and finding nothing, he went to check her room instead. He knocked on the door. "Jess, you in there? It's me, James."
"Come on in, James," a voice from inside invited.
Entering the room, James took a seat on the bed next to where his partner was laying. "What's up?" she inquired.
"The boss called. He said that Ash and his friends will be arriving soon."
"Really? I was beginning to think they weren't going to show up. Hey, maybe they'll crash and save us the trouble, what do you think?" Jessie asked, giving her partner a playful push.
"Don't say things like that. Do you really want him to die, Jessie?" He looked down at her.
"Like I said, it doesn't bother me either way."
"How can that not bother you at all?!" he practically screamed at her. "Is money all you care about?!"
Jessie sighed and looked away from her interrogator. "...no," she replied quietly. "It's not."
James brought his voice back to a reasonable level. "Don't you realize what Giovanni wants us to do? He's asking us to
commit murder, Jessie. Murder!" He paused for a moment, half-expecting Jessie to recant everything she'd said regarding the matter upon hearing this. But she didn't, and he sighed. "Nothing good can come from this."
Jessie looked back at him. "We don't have a choice, James. We either do what the boss says, or we get fired. And I know I'm not going to get fired because you couldn't follow orders."
"We're not getting fired, Jessie. We're getting killed."
"Oh, enough of that. You haven't given me a single shred of evidence that would suggest the boss is trying to kill us."
"I shouldn't need evidence, Jessie... just simple logic. I tried explaining this to you before." In his heart, James laughed at this notion, but it was really all he had to go on.
"Run it by me again."
"Okay. Now, listen carefully. It's been six years since we joined Team Rocket. We've always been kind of free agents, never really having to report back to HQ unless it was for something really important, just doing our own thing, you know? For five of those six years, our main goal has been one thing - steal Ash's Pikachu.
"Think about that, Jessie. Every time we report to Giovanni, it's the same thing. Have we caught Pikachu yet? No. Have we done anything else? No. It's amazing we've made it past the grunt level at all. Don't you think so?"
"Well...I guess. We really owe it to our superiors resigning or getting arrested."
"Exactly. We haven't done much of anything to earn a promotion, but Giovanni promoted us anyway. Why would he do that? Because he's been planning for this for months. I know he has. He's been priming us for this, hoping we'd be too happy with our free promotions and offers of big money to refuse.
"Put yourself in Giovanni's shoes. Would
you give us a promotion if all we did was screw up? Of course you wouldn't," he answered for her. "And I wouldn't either, which makes me all the more suspicious. My first point: Giovanni rewards us - and only us, mind you - for screwing up.
"Moving on. We have spent hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars funding the design and building of machines, whose sole purpose is to capture Pikachu, but the boss won't toss us twenty bucks for a decent meal."
Jessie couldn't help but chuckle at that. Yeah, that was true.
"We pilot these huge machines, and to our credit, most times we do end up taking Pikachu, but it usually isn't for very long. Ash and his friends always manage to save him, and then we get blown away, literally, by Pikachu. It's a miracle we're not dead already. Now, think about this: we've made Giovanni lose a
lot of money over the years. If we're such a financial burden to him, why on earth would he not only keep us on the team, but - bringing me back to my first point - promote us? I'll tell you why - because he's hoping that one of these days, we won't miraculously survive an encounter with Pikachu. One of these days, we'll die from it. There is no other logical explanation. My second point: Despite knowing about our failures, Giovanni lets us spend untold amounts of
his money on machines that have
never worked. Ever.
"This next one is important. Are you listening?"
Jessie rolled her eyes. Geez, this guy was paranoid. "Yes, James."
"I saw that. Okay. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this plan we are a part of is Giovanni's most important plan to date. A lot rides on it. Should we be successful, Giovanni will most likely achieve his dream of conquering the world... or at the very least, Kanto. However, who will be blamed for the murder? I don't doubt that Ash's family and friends at home know about his coming here. How will Giovanni explain himself, that Kanto's hero was killed at the leader of Team Rocket's house?" He paused for a moment.
Not giving Jessie a real chance to answer, James continued. "
Us, Jessie. You and me. The fact that we're here is proof he wants us gone for good. I reiterate my points from before; first, he's done nothing but reward us for doing nothing but failing. Second, not only does he reward us, but we have a blank check, as long as it's for building machines that I'm sure will one day spell our deaths. If it's so important that this mission succeeds, why would he trust his two biggest failures with its completion? You know as well as I do that Giovanni wouldn't trust us to go shopping for him, and here he is trusting us with his master plan? It doesn't add up."
"Well, he did mention that Butch and Cassidy were indisposed at the time. We weren't his first choices."
"He could have lied. I'll admit I haven't seen either of them recently, but Jessie, you have to agree that in his position, framing us for murder is the perfect plan to get us out of his hair."
"...All right, fine," Jessie conceded. "I will admit that it does
sound like it could happen. But that still doesn't prove that he
is going to do something."
"Oh, open your eyes, will you, Jessie?!" James snarled. "Think of what kind of man Giovanni is! He's exactly the kind of person who would--"
"No he isn't!" Jessie snapped. She sat up with a jerk, forcing James to stand up. She stood up and glared death at her partner. "You think you've got it all figured out, don't you? Well let me tell
you something. The boss may be mean to us, and greedy too, but has he ever framed one of his own agents?
Has he, James?"
"...no," James mumbled.
"Exactly. ...But there's no reason he can't start now, right?" she shrugged.
James nearly fell over from the wave of relief that washed over him. "I really...
really wish you wouldn't do that..." After catching his breath, he spoke again. "So... does that mean you believe me?"
"No, not entirely. But I will say this, you do make a good argument. I'm worried, James," she said, leaning into her comrade. James wrapped his arms around her and held her firmly as she kept talking. "Thanks to you and Meowth, I haven't been able to sleep right. All I can think about is this stupid mission. If we mess up and the twerps go home alive, think of what the boss will do to us! He'll fire us for sure. I don't have any--"
"You can come live with me," James cut her off. For a few moments, neither person said anything, each enjoying the other's presence. Finally, James broke the silence. "I noticed something else, too."
"Hm?" she closed her eyes, basking in the comfort James's strong arms provided.
"Haven't you ever noticed that whenever we try to do honest work in order to get money, it works out okay?"
"Mm," she nodded.
"We could do it. Get real jobs. Get a place of our own. Start our own life together, you know? Just the two of us..."
"Ah, you mean three of us."
"Er, right, the three of us."
She looked up at him and smiled. "I wouldn't mind that one bit." In the distance, a door was heard open and close. "Oh, I guess Shelly and Meowth are back," Jessie said casually. "Gosh, don't we look suspicious," she said, separating herself from James's embrace.
James rolled his eyes. Meowth already knew about the feelings James had for his partner, and Meowth had already confirmed to him that Jessie confided in Meowth that she felt the same way (although she'd kill them both if she knew he knew, and that's how he knew), so what was the point in trying to hide it from some stranger?
"Oh well..." he thought to himself as he quietly walked out of the room. Turning to go down the stairs, he was surprised at what he saw - not the familiar faces of Shelly and Meowth, but six curious faces gazing in all directions, taking in the size and splendor of the house. James quickly rushed back into Jessie's room and whispered to her, "They're here!"
"What?" Jessie asked in her normal voice. "Who's here? The twerps?"
James gave her a quick glare for her label of the group that had just arrived. "Yes, them!" he confirmed in the same loud whisper.
"Well, you know we have to make a grand entrance for them, right?" she spoke, still in her normal voice.
James nodded his head, a grin on his face. "Shall we do the old motto? It's always been my favorite."
"Ah. Yes. It's the best, I think... I don't know why we ever changed it."
"Me neither. Well, shall we?"
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Nice digs," Brock approved, looking around. "This is one niiiiiiice pad. He may be the boss of Team Rocket, but you have to admit, Ash, the guy knows how to relax."
"I guess so," Ash admitted, sitting on the couch near the entrance. He propped his legs up on the table and closed his eyes. Yeah, this wasn't so bad. Seven days of this? Sure.
Misty took a seat next to him. "See, Ash? Nothing suspicious so far. And remember, you promised me that you'd stop acting so paranoid..."
"I know, I know." He stood up and stretched, surveying his surroundings. Doors down that way. Door right over there. Huge staircase leading to who knows where. Well, he'd learn where everything was, in time. For the next seven days, this was his castle. He sat back down on the couch next to his friend. "I could get used to this. But something doesn't feel right."
"Come on, Ash, you promised--"
"No... oh no, please no..." he whined. "Say it ain't so. Please for the love of all that is good in the world, let it not be--"
Just then, Jessie burst from one side of the hall at the top of the stairs, wearing a sparkly fuchsia gown and matching arm-length gloves. Her hair was tied in a bow. "To protect the world from--"
"No, no, no, no, nooooooooooooo," Ash wailed. "You guys!!! How did I know it was them?!" he asked to no one in particular. He stood up and walked over to the stairs. "Where's he at, Jessie?! James, get out here, I know you're up there, too, and you might as well bring Meowth while you're at it."
James walked to Jessie's side from the other side of the hallway, wearing a sparkling green suit and matching top hat. He sighed forlornly. He just
had to interrupt the cool motto.
"God, you guys look like idiots." Ash turned to Misty. "I'm sorry, Misty, but these two just sent my suspicion levels
right off the charts!"
James raised an eyebrow, an action that went unnoticed by the others.
"Suspicious? I wonder what for..."
"Calm down, twerp, we're not here to get your little Pikachu," Jessie said, walking slowly down the steps.
James walked at her side. "Right you are, my dear Jessie! You see, we've actually been sent here by the boss himself. After we failed at getting Pikachu again..."
"...the boss sent us to this deserted island and locked us up downstairs," Jessie finished. "But thanks to my incredible intelligence, we escaped. And now we're living it up! Ahahahaha!"
"Oh yeah? How long are you gonna be here?" Ash inquired.
Jessie immediately stopped laughing. "Um... well, we don't know. We weren't... told."
"Right. And what are you gonna do when you get busted
not being locked up? What if we had been Giovanni's men come to get you, huh? What then?"
James looked at his partner. "Gosh, we never really thought of that, did we?"
"Once again proving thinking's not your strong suit," Ash taunted.
"What's the matter with you?" James asked.
"Your boss invited me here for who knows
what reason. It's a vacation for me and my friends. That's what he said, anyway. I came here to relax and have a good time with my friends,
not get pestered for a week by you two jokers."
"We're not here to cause you any trouble," James said reassuringly. "And that goes for all of you. As far as the two of us are concerned, we're not acting as members of Team Rocket. We're just Jessie and James, two people looking to take advantage of their boss while he's away."
Max raised his hand. "Yes, what is it?" James acknowledged him.
"Where's Meowth?"
"He's out with a new friend, a very fantastic person you'll meet later!" Jessie announced, giddy over the mere mention of her new pal.
Misty and the others looked at Jessie with an odd glance.
"We've been here for a while, so we know where everything is," James explained. "The bedrooms are all upstairs. That door up there is the master bedroom - and Jessie's friend took it. Jessie's room is right to the left of it. Mine is at the far end of the hallway."
"What?" Misty blurted out. "You mean you guys aren't..." she trailed off.
"What, lovers?" Jessie suggested. Misty blushed a bit and looked away. "Ahahaha! Heavens no. My dear girl... James is a very dear friend of mine. We've been friends for years. One could make a good argument that he's my best friend. But that's all we are. Just friends. Right, James?"
James would have gone on sulking forever if he wouldn't have picked up on the mention of his name. "Whatever you say, Jessie."
"You're silly, James. Anyway, you all can fight amongst yourselves where your rooms will be. I'll be in my room if anyone needs me," she said, walking up the stairs, waving a hand dismissively.
"Yes... I'll do that as well. Again, if you guys need anything, I'm up the stairs, go left, the room way at the end," James said, excusing himself from the room, vanishing down the hallway.
Ash turned to his friends once James was out of sight. "I've had enough surprises for one day. Let's just get situated before anything else surprises us."
And so, the six amigos spent some time checking the rooms left to them, being careful not to disturb Jessie, James, or the large bedroom in the center. From left to right, the bedrooms were assigned thus: James, Ash, Misty, Jessie, Shelly, Brock, Tracey, May, Max. Once they all had settled in, the group gathered in the main room to discuss their next course of action.
god I hate word limits... read the rest in the next post
