Chapter 11 – Rocket Blues ---------------- -Pewter City Gym – Guest Room- The very next morning, Ash left his room to meet up with Team Nova, only to discover they were long gone. Though he felt a little dispirited about Gary leaving before he could talk to him, he knew Team Nova was a very busy and secretive force, so it was expected. After eating breakfast and setting up their equipment, Ash and co. picked up their Pokémon from the center and headed towards their next destination, Mt. Moon. Hours into their traveling, including a few Random Battles here and there, Ash and the group arrived at the base of Mt. Moon. Reaching a few hundred feet in the air, Mt. Moon loomed over the landscape, casting a great shadow over our heroes. Ash recognized the place, remembering the time he met Seymour and the Clefairy. What was new about the mountain was path created around it so travelers didn’t have to worry about crossing through the dark cave. Normally, Ash would have taken the route around it, but… Beep……beep……beep…… “Hm?” Ash whipped out his Pokédex and glanced over the radar. A shard of the Final Destiny was inside the cave! “A shard’s nearby. That’s pretty convenient.” “Yeah, but we also always seem to run into something whenever we find a shard. I just hope the same doesn’t happen here.” Misty commented. “You know what they say: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. So let’s start venturing!” With that, Ash led the group inside Mt. Moon. Little did Ash know, he was being closely followed by two familiar people and a Meowth, who hid in a bush. “Looks like the twerps are gonna explore Mt. Moon.” Meowth said, spying with a pair of high-tech binoculars. Jessie rolled her eyes at the Cat Pokémon. “Brilliant deduction Captain Obvious, like we couldn’t figure that one out!” Meowth snarled at the comment, but decided to stay silent. He knew her wrath too well. “Didn’t the twerp mention something about a shard? I wonder if it’s one of those thingies the boss had been searching frantically for.” James recalled. “Maybe, though I have no idea why he would want something like that. Sure, they’re pretty, but if he wanted something beautiful he should’ve just called me.” Jessie did a pose as she said this, making her teammates sweat-drop. “I really don’t think the boss is in the mood for a seizure…” James mumbled under his breath. SMACK! “I heard that!” Jessie snapped, smacking James over the head with her paper fan. “Let’s hurry up and follow those twerps! There’s no time to lose!” “Right!” James and Meowth nodded, following the bossy red head inside the cave. -Mt. Moon - Base- If the cave had to be described in a simple word it would be dark. Since most of the Pokémon residing in the cave were nocturnal, light of any kind was minimal at best. Ash had Pikachu light up the trail so everyone could see and hopefully not get too lost. Misty, not exactly a fan of dark creepy caves, huddled close to Ash to feel a bit more insecure. Brock followed from a few feet away, close enough to not lose them but far enough to give them space. The walk was uneventful and quiet. Not even the spirits were saying much, all three submerged in their own thoughts. Satoshi, normally loud and obnoxious, had been brooding over thoughts he had for the last few days. Though he studied the art of spiritual syncing in the past, he’d hoped not to experience such a thing, knowing how boring of a life it was. Though he didn’t show it, he really missed how life used to be. Even though he was constantly in danger due to increasing dangers of the Luminarian war, he had something then that he didn’t have now, freedom. He didn’t dislike Ash as much as he used to (though it was still there), but he really hated being cooped up in someone else’s body, not having a chance to enjoy life like they could. All he could do was lend his guidance and powers, hoping that in the long run he could regain his body. Even if he could regain temporary materialization due to Ash’s Noctowl, it wasn’t the type of life he wanted, where he would have to rely on a Pokémon just to exist. Being a spirit did have its good points though. He didn’t need to worry about eating, and if he wanted to sleep, he could just mask his presence by hiding within the corridors of Ash’s mind. However, those troubles were what made life more interesting. Not knowing when your next meal was. Watching your back whenever sleeping in the wilderness. Battling day in and day out in order to survive. That was life he enjoyed, and it was even better with his friends—no, they were no longer his friends. He still hadn’t forgiven them for betraying his trust when he found out they were the guardians of his enemies. Then again…he did the same. How could he blame them for something he did himself? Was he truly such a hypocrite? His mind was muddled with these questions and more. Kasumi wasn’t faring any better than Satoshi was. One moment, she was fighting an evil sorcerer bent on obtaining the Final Destiny, which in that time was whole. The next minute, she wakes up fused with someone who looked just like her, was now in a foreign land and the Final Destiny was scattered throughout the planet. If she had any questions in mind, it was only one: What the hell happened? Such a shock would be powerful enough to give someone a heart attack. The fact she saw Satoshi again was almost enough to put her in a state of shock. She was hoping not to see him again, for many, many reasons. When it came to reasons for such a thing, finding out Satoshi was her enemy wasn’t at the top of her list. Of all the guardians who used to be her friend, Satoshi was the closest to her. The mere thought of fighting someone who used to be close to her broke her heart. It was then the truth about the world was revealed to her in full force, something she wasn’t nearly ready for at first. She wised up and gathered as many truths as she could, making sure to avoid her past naivety. But even then…there were some things she couldn’t avoid, no matter how hard she tried. That was what bothered her most. Takeshi, unlike his two spiritual allies, had less troubling thoughts on his mind. His concentration was focused on the two teens in front of him and Brock. It was easy to tell Misty had a thing for Ash, but it was even easier to tell Ash had no clue about anything related to love and romance. If there was anything he and Brock shared, which were many things, it was the desire to get any potential couples together. It was ironic, in the sense that Brock wasn’t the only one who could never get a girl. As despairing as the idea was, Takeshi wasn’t one to let things get him down. When he used to travel with the five guardians, he was always the mediator and sensible one…well, sensible when there wasn’t a Jenny or Joy nearby. Thankfully, those girls still existed and looked as cute as ever. If he still had his body, he could easily…well, that was a story for another day. It was time to work with the most potential couple nearby, namely Ash and Misty. He also thought Satoshi and Kasumi might get along better if Ash and Misty got together, not to mention have fun at their expense. “So tell me, what kind of chemistry do those two have?” Takeshi asked, referring to Ash and Misty. ‘Oh, them? Well, I haven’t seen them for awhile, but I’ve known them for quite a bit. Ash isn’t the romantic type, so he hadn’t experience the feelings that Misty has for him yet. I’m sure with a little push, Ash will recognize his feelings. Misty’s been hoping for that, but she also knew he needed to mature a bit more before he understood such feelings. I’ve been trying here and there, but Ash is far too dense to get the concept easily. Maybe if we got the two stuck together for a while, something would happen…’ “You don’t say…” Takeshi thought about Brock’s words. Ash and Misty. Alone. Cave. The two alone. The two alone in a cave. What could be better than that? “Hey Brock, I got a plan. This is what you do…” About an hour later, Ash and the rest ended up in a two-way path. One would be a detour while the other would lead deeper into the cave and eventually out. “Hey Brock, which way do we go?” Ash asked. Brock looked down on the map and noted the correct path. “The path on the right is the way out. Let’s go through there.” “Okay.” Ash nodded and headed in the direction along with Misty and Pikachu, who lit the way. Brock on the other hand took the correct path, which was to the left. He couldn’t help but release a small chuckle. They were going to be mad with him later, but hopefully the two would produce results out of this. Ash especially needed a wake up call. Unfortunately, an hour into the cave, Brock realized he couldn’t see very well in the darkness… -Mt. Moon – Ash and Misty- With Ash and Misty, they’ve wondered deep into the cave, only to end up horribly lost, and the fact Brock had the map and currently wasn’t with them made the situation much worse. “I can’t believe this…!” Misty exasperated. “Remind me to bash Brock’s head in as soon as we find him…” “I’ll second that…” Ash sighed, exhausted from the constant walking. “Pika…” Pikachu’s Flash attack started to dim, losing energy from the constant use. Ash noticed this and wanted to remedy the situation. “Hey, let’s find a place to rest for a bit.” “Works for me. I’m exhausted.” Misty immediately sat against the wall, resting her weary legs. Ash followed Misty’s example and sat next to her, Pikachu lying on his lap. “I hope we find the exit soon. I really don’t want to stay here forever.” “Well…staying here for a little while wouldn’t hurt…” Misty yawned. “Misty? Are you alright?” Ash asked, noting her drooping eyes. To his surprise, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’m just a little sleepy. Just give me five minutes…” Funny enough, it only took two minutes for the red head to fall asleep. Ash, feeling comfortable yet uncomfortable, stiffened nervously. ‘Okay…keep your cool. This is no big deal. It’s just Misty after all, sleeping on my shoulder. We’ve slept on the same bed before, so this is nothing. Nope, nothing at all…’ He told himself, trying to quell the nervous feeling in his stomach. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t help when she hugged him unconsciously, causing him to blush considerably. ‘Okay, now she’s sleeping AND hugging me. Well, it’s not like things could get any weirder…’ He should’ve never thought of that sentence, since right after that thought Pikachu fell asleep and shut off his biological flashlight, putting the three in total darkness. Ash could only sigh. ‘Somehow, I feel I deserved that.’ Five minutes past and Ash was still wide awake. His arm started to feel uncomfortable, which was slowly starting to irritate him. He could move it around, but since Misty was still clutched onto him, there wasn’t a real spot to place it. Fortunately, there was one place he could put it where he was sure to be a comfortable spot. Unfortunately, it just happened to be on Misty’s shoulders. The red on Ash’s face brightened, almost enough to illuminate the darkness. Did he dare do such a thing? What if she woke up seeing his arm around her? Would she yell at him, kill him, or let it slide? He might’ve decided not to, had the annoying pain in his arm not increased within the next few minutes. Finally giving up, he shifted his arm to gently embrace Misty, who strangely sighed in delight. ‘Well…this isn’t so bad…’ He thought, relieved. A small smiled graced his lips. ‘I think I could get used to this…as long as she doesn’t kill me for it…’ Little did the two know, two familiar spirits were watching. They felt disgusted…yet very envious… -Mt. Moon - Brock- Brock, unfortunate enough to be unprepared for pitch-black ventures, barely managed to grope his way through Mt. Moon’s interior, repeatedly attacked by the Pokémon habitats who felt he was a trespasser. “You know…” Brock started, wincing after walking into a wall. “Remind me to never listen to your hair-brained schemes ever again…” “It seemed like a good idea at the time. I’m sure your friends will find their way out…eventually…” Takeshi shrugged visibly. “I just hope those two enjoy their alone time…” This was followed by a depressed sigh. “Why can’t I be that lucky…?” “Hey, cheer up! I’m sure we’ll find the right person for us!” “Yeah, I’ve been telling myself that for years and still there’s no hope…” Brock’s shoulder’s sagged as he pouted over his failure to obtain a girlfriend. But then, something occurred to him. “Wait, you said we. Does that mean you’ve had just as bad luck?” “Unfortunately, yes...this sucks…” Takeshi concluded, sighing. Sheer depression clouded over the two as they traversed blindly through the cave. CRASH! Brock crashed into someone in front of him. By instinct, he grabbed the person’s hand. His woman-seeking senses tingled, signaling that the person’s hand belonged to a woman. “Hey miss, are you alright?” The woman, currently undetectable due to the darkness, held tightly onto Brock’s hand, allowing herself to be straightened up. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” She grumbled, obviously irritated. “Hey, sorry about bumping into you like that. You can barely tell what’s what in this crazy cave.” Brock apologized. “I guess…” “Is…something wrong?” The breeder asked, noting the anger in her tone. He somehow found it familiar. The female sighed. “First, giving back my hand would help…” “Huh? Oh! Sorry!” Brock released her hand quickly, a little embarrassed. “Kinda forgot I was still holding it. Hehehe…” “I see. You’re one of those, huh? Oh well, as long as you don’t try anything, I don’t care. Let’s just get out of here—AH!” The girl shrieked and sat on the floor, clutching her leg. “Hey, are you okay?” Brock asked. He wasn’t able to see, but he could tell the girl was somehow hurt. “Of course I’m not okay! I think I hurt my ankle when you bumped into me. Ow…” The girl seethed as the pain in her ankle throbbed. Brock carefully searched through the darkness, being extra careful not to touch the woman where he shouldn’t, until he found the ankle the woman was holding onto. “Let me see if it is broken.” The woman opted to refuse, but the pain started to increase, which changed her mind rather quickly. “Just be quick about it…” She painfully removed her boot, exposing the sore ankle. Brock lightly tapped on different spots of the foot, noting when she would hiss in pain. “Hmm…it’s not broken, but just sprained. You definitely can’t walk through a cave like this…” “Gee, aren’t you brilliant?” Even in the darkness, Brock could tell she rolled her eyes. Trying his best to be a gentleman, he decided to ignore her snide remarks. “Hang on a minute. Lemme do something…” Digging into his backpack, he took out some bandages then carefully applied first aid the woman’s swollen ankle. “Hey, if we’re going to help each other out of here, we might as well get to know each other. My name’s Brock. What’s yours?” The girl wanted to complain, but knew the guy had a point. Being that she was injured, she was in no shape to do anything else but comply. “It’s…Jessie…” -Mt. Moon – Ash and Misty- With Ash, it had been an hour since Misty took her nap. Ash had managed to sleep a little as well, being sure to gather up some extra strength before continuing his trek inside Mt. Moon. However, the sudden sounds of two people approaching awoke Pikachu, who instantly turned on his Flash attack, enlightening the current area of the cave. Both Ash and Misty awoke thanks to Pikachu’s light and saw the two people approach. Both parties gasped in shock when they recognized each other. “You’re Team Rocket!” Ash and Misty gasped simultaneously. “And you’re the twe—Ash!” James corrected quickly, seeing the glint of anger in Ash’s eyes. “I should’ve known you guys would try to chase us here! Pikachu, get ready!” Ash cried. Pikachu’s cheeks crackled with electricity, preparing to send James and Meowth blasting off. James’s shoulders shrugged pathetically. “Just make it quick. We’ll probably get out of here faster anyway…” Meowth cowered behind James, hoping it would reduce the impact of Pikachu’s Thunderbolt attack. Ash blinked. Misty blinked. Even Pikachu was inclined to blink. Misty took one look at Ash’s face and just knew what he was going to say. “Ash…? Don’t tell me you’re gonna…” “I’m afraid so…” Ash sighed. Sensing this, Pikachu held off his attack, but still kept up his guard. “Okay James, spill it. What’s wrong this time?” James and Meowth flopped on the ground, releasing a long sigh. “Well…you probably know what it is by now. It happened again…” Ash and Pikachu slapped their foreheads in sync, very familiar with this occurrence. “Okay, so you and Jessie got into another fight?” “Fight? Ash, what’s going on?” Misty asked, rightfully confused. “Well…this started happening sometime during my travels in the Orre region. He and Jessie had been getting into more and more arguments with each other lately, either splitting apart for days at a time or they won’t say anything to each other. I don’t know how or why, but it’s been happening longer than I care to remember. Trust me, it’s even more annoying than fighting them time and time again, but at least it’s not as bad as falling into pits and everything.” “Oh…” Was the only thing Misty could say. She really didn’t expect such drama from Team Rocket. If anything, they were always in high spirits. “Yeah, and as for me, I know when to stay away from Jessie. It’s whenever she’s angry…which is pretty much all the time…” Meowth commented. “And that’s what I’m getting sick of!” James’s expression turned into a deep scowl. “For five years it’s been like this! She’s been getting worse and worse, and I just can’t take it anymore! I would rather hang out with Batch than Jessie at this point!” “Butch, James, it’s Butch.” Ash corrected. It took months of lessons, but Ash finally mastered that blasted name. “Yeah, him. I mean, what will it take to make Jessie not so mean and stubborn!? I’ve tried absolutely everything. There is just no getting through to that woman!” “No kidding…” Ash pondered on the matter. Even though James’s whining about the situation was irritating, he felt sorry for the guy. He tried giving James advice on what to do, but none his ideas seem to work. Sometimes, it worsened the situation. Perhaps if he could get the two to actually cooperate with each other for more than a day, then he could probably get some peace and quiet from James…and himself. “Well, to be honest…I really can’t think of anything. Truthfully, I can’t see why you even bother to stick around her.” “Speaking of sticking…” Meowth started, snickering, “When did you two get so close?” “Hm? What do you…AH!” That was when both Ash and Misty realized they were still holding onto each other. Shooting away, they both flushed in embarrassment. It also didn’t help that James, Meowth, and even Pikachu, were laughing at their expense. “That was not funny!” The two bellowed, still blushing. “Hahaha, oh man, I needed that!” James said, still laughing a little. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up why don’t ya? See if I help you again!” Ash huffed, crossing his arms. “Sorry, I’ll stop.” James immediately stopped laughing, not wanting to get Ash annoyed. It always ended painfully… “Okay, so you and Jessie had been getting into a whole lot of arguments lately?” Misty asked. James nodded. “Well, did you try being nice to her?” “Yeah. She called me a wimp and punched me.” “How about stern?” “She punched me even harder.” “Did you give her a gift?” “She punched me and told me to stop buying useless junk.” “Let’s see…how about impressing her?” “She punched me and told me to stop trying to show off.” Misty’s brow furrowed in thought. “Did you try to talk to her?” “She would punch me in the face and tell me to stop wasting her time.” Misty couldn’t help but growl at this point. “Okay…did you try to stand up for yourself and be a man about it?” “I tried, and was almost turned into a woman for it. And as for standing; I couldn’t do that for a few days. At least she didn’t punch me that time…” “Good grief!” Misty cried, throwing her hands up in frustration, “She’s worse than Ash’s sense of direction!” “Hey!” Ash yelled. “You see what I mean? It’s impossible. I always get turned into a punching bag in the end!” James shouted, punching at the ground in anger…only to cringe soon after. “Ow…shouldn’t have done that…” “Poor James…” Misty started rummaging through her head for any ideas that might help the troubled adult. Not even James deserved such punishment for that long of a time. “Hey, I think I have one idea that might help…” Kasumi said. ‘I haven’t heard from you for awhile. Where ya been?’ Misty asked telepathically. “I’ve…just had a lot on my mind, but don’t worry about that. I’ve been listening to the conversation. According to him, he’s been with Jessie for five years, been under such harsh punishment, and NOW he decides he can’t take her attitude?” ‘Yep, that seems to be the jist of it.’ “So think about it…if he actually wanted to stay around her that long…and Jessie, being the brutal woman she is, actually stayed by his side for that long as well…then that could only mean one thing…” “Wait a minute…” Misty pondered aloud, catching everyone’s attention. Instantly, her eyes widened in surprise. How could she not have figured it out sooner!? “James, are you in love with Jessie?” “What!?” James jumped to his feet, turning scarlet. “Are you serious!? Me and Jessie? Heaven’s no!” After a moment, he sighed and then sat down. “At least, not anymore…” “Misty? What are you getting at?” Ash asked, curious to see where this was going. “Hmm…this is a difficult one, but there might be some hope for you two yet…” Misty said. This caught James’s attention. “Seriously?” “Yeah. If only I knew the reason for Jessie’s grumpiness, then I might be able to help.” “Hey guys, I think we’ve waited long enough. Let’s think about it while we look for the exit and Brock.” Ash stood up and dusted himself off, along with Misty. Forgetting he had the Pokédex on him until this moment, he used it to help lead everyone towards the correct direction, but not before he got chewed out by Misty for not using it sooner. -Mt. Moon – Brock and Jessie- Brock and Jessie had been trudging through the cave for the last hour. Being the guy he is, Brock had to carry Jessie on his back. Even though he was strong enough to carry her, he was getting a little tired. The fact Jessie would complain about every little thing didn’t help either. “Alright, let’s take a small break here…” Brock set Jessie carefully on the ground, leaning her against the wall. “What, a big, strong man like you too weak to carry little ol’ me around?” ‘LITTLE!?’ Brock wanted to say, but decided to keep it to himself. Quite frankly, his patience was thinning out, fast. If he wanted to keep his cool any longer, he had to get away from Jessie. He may have been one to always fall for a girl, but she was a clear exception. Besides, something about her attitude was oddly familiar, and her named rung a bell. “Hey Jessie, I’m…gonna go and see what’s ahead while you rest here. I’ll be back in a little while…” Brock couldn’t help but cringe. Really, he was lying and wanted to get away from her, but he truly hated lying, especially to a girl in trouble. He was about to leave when Jessie called out to him. “Hey, Brock?” Jessie sighed before continuing. “Um…thanks for helping me and, well, sorry for acting like a brat. You’ve been nothing but a big help and I was a little ungrateful. I’ve been having a series of bad days back to back and recently had a fight with someone, so…yeah…” Brock fought to keep himself from sighing. There was no way he could just leave her now. At least she apologized. He sat down next to her. “I suppose I could wait to check out the cave later…” “Don’t BS me. You were about to ditch me weren’t you?” “Err…um…w-what makes you say that? Of course I wouldn’t ditch you. Heheheh…” Brock laughed nervously. He was starting to feel really bad now for even considering that. “Don’t worry about it. If you want to leave, then go ahead. It’s only fair.” “No, no, no, I’m not going to leave ya. After all, you did apologize, not to mention you had a really bad day. It happens to all of us.” “Yeah, but as for me, it seems to happen all the time. And now, things are just worse than ever…” “There, there…” Brock patted Jessie’s back lightly, switching to his “big-brother” mode. “Tell me all about your bad day.” Jessie, feeling a little more comfortable, decided to share her pain with Brock. “It started when my part—err…friend and I were deciding which path to take inside this cave. You see, we’ve been friends for many years now and been through many things together, but due to, well, a horrible losing streak, I’ve been very, very, very edgy. Even though I didn’t mean for it, I would act a lot worse than you’ve seen so far.” Brock cringed at the thought, feeling very sorry for the poor guy. “This has been going on for a few years and now we can barely go a day without some huge argument erupting. Today was probably one of the worst arguments and it was over deciding which direction to take in this stupid cave. To put it simply, we got lost, some things were said (and broken), and then we split apart. I’m sure he’ll comeback in a day or so, but we’ll probably just repeat the process all over again.” Brock noticed the dejected tone in her voice. It sounded like she was trying really hard to keep her pain bottled up. If anything, what she needed right now was someone to talk to. “Well, from what you’ve told me, I guess you and your friend had some rough times, you vented your anger out on him, and now things are spiraling down hill for the two of you.” “Yep. You hit it right on the mark. Huh, now that I think about it, I’m surprised he stuck with me for so long, given that I’m not exactly a gentle woman. You’ve seen that for yourself” ‘I’ll second that.’ Brock agreed mentally. “Seems to me that he really likes you.” “Well that makes sense I suppose. You may not be able to tell because of the darkness, but I’m a very attractive woman. I guess it’s not a real surprise that he would fall in…love…with…me…” Jessie faltered. She realized with a start what Brock said. “W-w-wait a minute! T-that’s impossible! I mean…m-me? I’ve been so mean to him, so he wouldn’t…but…he…no way!” Brock grinned sneakily. Now things were getting interesting! “If I didn’t know any better, I would think you like the idea of him liking you.” The bright tint of pink on Jessie’s cheeks was almost able to illuminate the darkness. “I-I do not! I mean, he’s such a…c-crybaby! T-t-there’s no reason for me to l-l-l-like him! N-not one!” “Uh huh…” “I-I’m serious! He’s such a loser, always whining and carrying on! I don’t want someone like him!” “Yea, sure you don’t…” “Q-quit it! I’m telling the truth here!” “Who are you trying to convince, me, or yourself?” Brock inquired, enjoying the torment Jessie was going through. Jessie fumbled over her words continuously, trying to throw an adequate excuse at him, but to no avail. Seeing there was no way out of it, she decided to surrender…but not completely. “…Okay, so maybe I sorta like him, but just a little bit! Not anything crazy like love or anything! Nope, not at all!” She huffed, crossing her arms stubbornly. Brock chuckled at Jessie’s stubbornness. It rivaled Misty’s. “You know, there’s nothing wrong with that. No need to be so defensive about it.” He started chuckling a little more with the extra thought that came to mind. “You know, you’re super cute when you’re nice.” Jessie’s blush deepened at the compliment, a little embarrassed. “No I’m not. I’m not nice.” “Oh come on…! I’ll bet there’s a nice little girl inside there!” Brock playfully poked at Jessie’s shoulder. “Stop it! That’s not funny!” Jessie giggled, swatting playfully at Brock. She hadn’t felt this relaxed in years! Perhaps that little talk helped clear out her bottomless pit of anger. She was actually having fun! After a minute of playing and laughing, the two stopped, sighing in relief. “Thanks Brock, I really needed that. Now I feel great!” “That’s the spirit!” Brock cheered. “I hope when you meet your friend again, you two work things out.” “Thanks, I hope so too.” There was a moment of peaceful silence, that is until Jessie broke it. “So…you promise not to tell anyone about…you know…everything?” “Not a soul. Besides, it’s not like I know the guy or anything. It would be impossible.” “Yeah, I doubt you know James anyway...” Just then, something clicked in Brock’s head. Now he just knew there was something familiar about that. “Wait…did you say James?” “Yeah, why, you don’t know him, do you?” Jessie asked, raising an eyebrow. Brock furrowed his brow in thought, trying to remember where he heard that thought. ‘James…Jessie…Jessie and James…oh…crap!’ Brock almost had a heart attack at the realization. The person he was talking to was Jessie from Team Rocket! How could he have been so stupid to not notice that? “Ah…me, know James? N-no! That would be too much of a coincidence.” Yeah, like this wasn’t any bigger of a coincidence… Unfortunately for him, something also clicked in Jessie’s head. “Hey…you said your name was Brock, right?” Cursing his luck, Brock decided to play dumb. “Uh…Brock? Did I say that? I meant Chuck, yeah, that’s it! Chuck!” Jessie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “No, I’m pretty sure you said Brock…” She could hear Brock crawling away from her slowly. “Brock…Brock…I know I’ve heard that name from somewhere…” She started crawling towards Brock, growing more and more suspicious. “…Wait a minute…” After a few more clicks in her head, she finally remembered who that name belonged to. “So you’re the oldest twerp who hangs with Ash…” Brock swallowed hard, realizing he had just been caught. “Ehehehe…surprise?” Jessie’s eyebrow twitched angrily. Not only did she allow herself to buddy up with the enemy, but told him her most treasured secret. “You know…” She said slowly, her temper rising slowly. “My foot’s feeling better…” …Uh oh. “Err…t-that’s good…” Brock quivered, knowing he was about to get it. “…I suppose I should thank you for helping me feel better…how does a head start sound?” “No complaints here!” With that, Brock tore through the dark cave, soon followed by an enraged Jessie. -Mt. Moon – Ash, Misty, James and Meowth- Ash, Misty, James, Meowth and Pikachu, with the help of the Pokédex, finally found the right path and took it. As they ventured the cave, there were many other paths as well. Normally, the gang would’ve been lost long ago, but the Pokédex’s shard detector was rather helpful in this case. The closer Ash got to the center of Mt. Moon, the more frequent the beeps were, indicating he was getting closer to the shard. Ash, being cautious, made sure to keep an eye on James and especially Meowth. He may’ve been friendly with them time to time, but they were still a rockets, a group Ash could never trust. While walking, Ash couldn’t help but wonder something. He knew there was only one person who could really answer it, and he had been very quiet lately. ‘Hey, Satoshi, why is it you guys are called evil in the legends? What is it you guys did?’ He asked telepathically. Telepathy was something Ash couldn’t comprehend completely. All he knew was that he just had to think and Satoshi would hear him. He just hoped Satoshi didn’t hear all of his thoughts. Satoshi, still masking his presence, decided to inform Ash the best he could using telepathy. ‘That is something I’m not 100 percent on. Unfortunately, my memories are still a bit scattered, I can only remember certain things if I see or hear it. Though, something about that has irked me somewhat. During my ere, Lumina was split in five parts, so it could be assumed that we were labeled “evil” because we were loyal to our country and ours only. Though that makes me wonder…what did happen after we were sealed?’ ‘Maybe the guy who sealed you was the one to do such a thing?’ ‘That’s something else that bothers me. I remember a good bit of that battle. All five guardians were close to defeating him, but he used this sealing device to take our souls. If anything, he could’ve just destroyed this ball and be rid of us for good. Somehow, something tells me he didn’t get the chance. This leads me to believe that he wasn’t the one who labeled us as evil…but someone else entirely. It’s all very confusing and I’d prefer not to waste time thinking on it.’ ‘Yeah, I guess you’re right.’ Ash couldn’t help but wonder one other thing. ‘I remember carrying the GS ball long before, yet you never appeared or anything. Why is that?’ ‘That I think I can answer. With any door, it requires a “key” of some sort to open. What I can guess is that you’ve somehow managed to find a key and unlocked the sealing mechanism on the GS ball. Now, according to how I’ve seen it work, whenever the right person comes into contact with the ball, their corresponding ancestor merges with them. Maybe if I see the remaining two guardians, which would be the Fazura and Mizura guardian, I would regain many more memories…’ ‘Well, I hope you get all of your memories back Satoshi. I’ll do what I can to help you out.’ ‘…Thanks Ash…’ “Hey, look ahead!” Misty pointed to the light at the end of the tunnel. “Alright! It looks like we’re almost at the center where the shard is! Let’s hurry!” Ash cried in excitement, running ahead. Misty and Pikachu followed his lead shortly. ‘Wait…shard? Is he talking about the same one the boss has been searching for?’ James pondered. “Hey James…” Meowth whispered, cueing him to listen. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” “If you’re talking about what Ash mentioned, then yeah. If it’s the same one we’ve been looking for, then maybe we could steal it once the twerps find it.” “That’s the ticket! Let’s hurry up and catch up with them!” Meowth started ahead, but slowed to a stop when he noticed James not running with him. The Cat Scratch Pokémon could tell he was brooding over something. “Hey, are you coming or not?” James was knocked out of his thoughts and brought back to the real world. “Huh? Oh, yeah.” Meowth sighed, having a good feeling what was on his mind. “Look…just forget about her for now. We’re still rockets, and we got a job to do. And…I’m sure we’ll see her eventually anyway, so just forget it and hurry already!” Though he sounded angry and annoyed, Meowth was only trying to help him get over Jessie. After all, they were friends regardless of past struggles, all three of them were. James nodded, looking a little more determined than earlier. “Alright, let’s hurry and get that shard!” As the two rockets ran ahead, James knew he could never follow Meowth’s advice, no matter how much he probably should. There were some people you could never forget… However, when James and Meowth were almost out of the long tunnel, they noticed something very wrong. Ash, Misty and Pikachu were lying on the ground, a look of pain and struggle on their faces. Worried, the two rockets ran towards the fallen heroes. ZAP! “ARGH!” Both James and Meowth were struck by simultaneous stun club attacks, forcing them on the ground next to Ash and Misty. When they looked up, they would’ve gasped with fright if they still had the ability. Around them were a large group of Magma grunts, all armed with stun clubs and tough looking fire Pokémon. “Feh, I figured I would see you kids again, and I’m glad my sources were correct about you.” One man said, approaching the paralyzed group of six. The Team Magma leader didn’t have a hood like the grunts and administrators, but had a different style of clothing. He had a long coat that was half grey and half red stretching down to his knees, grey slacks and boots. He also had dark brown eyes and bright red hair. “It’s been awhile, Ash Ketchum.” The man sneered, crouching in front of the said child. “Maxie…” Ash growled, clenching his fist. Maxie smirked. “I’m glad you remembered. The last time we met was when I was attempting to revive Groudon. Unfortunately, our plans were foiled thanks to you kids…and you guys too!” Maxie pointed angrily at James and Meowth. “Don’t think for a moment I’ve forgotten about you, though I do remember there being a third member to this Team Rocket you claim to be. And as for Ash,” Maxie turned his attention to the raven haired trainer. “I remember you’ve traveled with three other people. Perhaps they realized your foolish ideals and ditched you, but that no longer matters at this moment. I’ve heard from my spies that you’ve acquired a nifty device that allows you to detect a special object, one that I’ve been looking for. I’ll skip the minor details and get straight to the point: You have the key to not only helping us realize our goals, but make us truly invincible, and you’re going to give it to me whether you like it or not!” Maxie stood up and started walking away. “Lock them up and be sure to strip them of any Pokéballs and items they may have. I want no mistakes!” “Yes sir!” The grunts responded, approaching Ash and the rest. Things were not looking good… -Mt. Moon – Prison bay- A half hour later, Ash, Misty and James were locked up in a cage, their equipment and Pokémon relinquished from them. They were placed in a holding cell inside one of Mt. Moon’s empty areas, a spot close to the center. The metal on the cages were pretty sturdy and there were two guards in front of the cage. “Hey Ash,” James whispered, trying not to alert the guards, “Why don’t you do that one thingy you did back at Viridian City? You know, change your hair color and everything?” “Ah, you’re right!” Ash considered his words then gasped sharply. “Whoa…you’re…right…that’s something you don’t hear everyday.” “Ha ha, very funny.” James shot irritably. Ash was about to perform the sync with Satoshi when the spirit called out to him. “Hold on Ash, I wouldn’t recommend such an option yet…” ‘Why not?’ Ash inquired mentally. “Think about it. If Maxie finds out we’ve broken out of the jail cell, not only will we get swarmed by enemies and probably killed, but he might bail with our shard detector. Either way, we have to recover our equipment by stealthy means first. I’m still thinking of a possible escape plan. If only we had a way to unlock the gate…” Ash sulked a little. Satoshi had a point. “Well…that plan is out the window. I can’t…err…use my techniques, otherwise I’ll alert Maxie.” He informed Misty and James. They had the same reaction Ash did to the news. “Come on, we’ve been through stuff worse than this,thanks to a certain group of trouble makers.” Ash shot a knowing glance at James, who chuckled nervously in response. “Don’t worry you guys, I’m sure if we work together on this, we can break free.” “I agree. Let’s find a way to escape.” Misty said, standing with him. The two stared at James, who was still sitting down. “…What?” “Come on James. You too.” Ash invited, extending his hand. The violet haired rocket considered it, but shook his head. “Nah, I’m not that brave. Just go ahead and do your thing, I’ll just stay out of the way.” “The James I knew would never say something like that!” A female voice echoed, surprising everyone. “Who’s there?” One of the Magma guards shouted, looking around. “Seviper, Poison Tail!” “Crobat, Wing Attack!” SMACK! SLASH! Both Magma guards were defeated before they could summon their Pokémon. The lock on the gate was struck by the Poison Tail attack, breaking it and opening the cage. Ash, Misty and James were free! Not only that, but Pikachu and Meowth were free too! Pikachu leapt into Ash’s embrace, as did Meowth to James. “Brock! Jessie!” Ash cried in surprise. “Hey you guys!” Brock exclaimed, standing in front of the opened cell. “Sorry we took so long, but those goons had pretty tight security. Plus, we had to free the Clefairy imprisoned here. The good news is that they’re helping out by wreaking havoc, so we have a chance to find and defeat Maxie before he can get away with the Pokédex.” “Wow! You really did all of that?” Ash asked. Brock rubbed the back of his head bashfully. “Well, as much as I would like to take all the credit, a lot of it belongs to Jessie. She’s actually quite skilled when it comes to sneaking into places and dispatching guards. I was just the extra firepower. Anyway, let’s hurry up and get going!” “Right!” Ash and Misty stood up and walked out of the prison. James was about to leave when Brock stopped him. “Not so fast James! There’s someone who would like to have a word with you. But first…” With quick hand movement, Brock snatched Meowth by the scruff of his neck. “Hey, what are ya doing!?” Meowth yelled, thrashing in Brock’s grip. Brock restrained him and whispered in his ear. Instantly, his ears perked and the cat grinned. “Ooooh! Gotcha! Sorry Jimmy, but you’re gonna hafta sit this one out for awhile!” “Why? What’s going on?” James asked. “Gee James, I don’t know, why don’t you ask her?” Brock shoved Jessie in James’s direction, grinning wickedly. “Hey, watch it!” Jessie yelled. “J-Jessie?” James stammered. Jessie stared at the ground, shifting nervously. “Um…yeah. We need to talk…” Misty gasped with delight. “Oh my gosh! Jessie’s gonna—mmph!” She was silenced by Brock’s hand. “Shh! Let’s give them a little privacy.” Brock said quietly. “Okay Jessie, just like we talked about! We’ll catch you two later!” With that, Ash, Brock, Misty and Meowth left the two alone, heading towards Maxie to recover Ash’s Pokédex, leaving Jessie and James to themselves. “Grr…that idiot…!” Jessie growled, glaring at the direction Brock darted off to. She \ wasn’t ready for this, but it was too late. It was now or never. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming her raging nerves. James was clueless to what was going on. Why did Jessie seem so nervous? “Was there something you wanted to talk about?” “Don’t rush me idiot!” She snapped. In an instant, her expression changed from anger to apologetic. “No, wait. I…didn’t mean that. Yes, there was something I wanted to talk to you about.” Right then, her gaze went downward. “J-James…c-could you come here for a moment?” “Come…closer?” James asked, swearing he misheard her. Jessie nodded, the red in her cheeks brightening. “Yes. Come here…p-please…?” If James wasn’t surprised before, he surely was now. When did she ever say please? Also, when did her voice sound so…serene? It was definitely a nice change of tone. He complied with the request and took a few steps forward, standing about a foot away. “Like this?” Jessie shook her head. “N-no…a little closer…” She gestured him to come ever closer with her hand. James hesitated, not sure what she had planned. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to hurt you. Just come closer…” “Um…o-okay.” James did so and was now at most an inch away, slowly reddening. “I-is this close enough?” “Y…yeah, it is.” Summing up every bit of her courage, Jessie pulled James into a affectionate hug, causing James to tense up. “James, I know this isn’t nearly enough to atone for the damage I’ve done to our friendship, but I wanted to show you that I’m sorry for how I’ve been. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I wanted you to know that I’m truly sorry.” “Jessie…” Slowly, James returned the embrace, gently making Jessie’s head lean on his shoulder. The years of built-up anger and frustration immediately faded as though it never existed, and the love the two had for each other years ago returned in full force. “Of course you deserve my forgiveness. This is more than enough.” “I’m glad…” The two stayed in the same position for many minutes, not wanting to leave their warmth. For a moment, there was nothing but comfortable silence. “…James?” “…Yes Jessie?” “…I…like this. Do you think we could do this more often?” “I would like that.” James answered, smiling softly. He could really get used to this… -Mt. Moon – Ash, Misty, Brock and Meowth- The quartet managed to plow through the scattered Team Magma forces as the angry Clefairy and Clefables attacked, causing great discord. There were many paths Maxie could take in order to escape. Ash, Misty and Brock all took separate paths in order to hunt down the Team Magma leader while Meowth waited patiently for Jessie and James. Ash, along with Pikachu on his shoulder, tore through the cavern tunnels. While running, two Magma grunts stood in front of him, protecting the passageway. “We’re not going to let you get through without a fight kid!” One of the grunts barked, brandishing his stun club. “Hmph, we’ll see about that! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!” Pikachu complied and lunged at one of the Magma grunts. “Pika…CHU!!” ZAP! “GAH!” The Magma grunt was instantly paralyzed from the strong bolt of electricity. The second grunt raised his stun club to strike Pikachu, but never got the chance. SMACK! Ash smashed his fist across the grunt’s face, knocking him out in one hit. He took a brief moment to glance at his fist, a little surprised. Was it him, or has he gotten stronger lately? “Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu cried, reminding Ash about Maxie. “Huh? Oh, right, let’s go!” Ash continued his run down the tunnel, finding two more grunts and Maxie himself minutes later. Maxie seemed surprised. “I should’ve expected nothing less from a brat like you! Guards, get him!” “Right!” The two grunts summoned one Pokémon each, a Mightyena and a Golbat. “A double battle huh? I’m game! Let’s go Grovyle!” Ash called, summoning the Wood Gecko Pokémon. “Grovyle!” The grass Pokémon cried, prepping his arm leaf blades for combat. Pikachu took a fighting stance next to Grovyle, his cheeks sparking with high voltage. “Heh, let’s see if you can take on my two personal guards. If you can beat them, then I’ll gladly battle you. But first…” Maxie snapped his fingers. As if on cue, Pokémon battle music started playing in the background. (Battle! Team Aqua/Magma– Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire) Ash couldn’t help but sweat-drop, as did his Pokémon. “All this battle music stuff gets weirder and weirder…” “Meh, you get used to it.” One of the grunts shrugged. “Anyway, enough fooling around, it’s time to battle! Mightyena, use Sand-Attack!” The Bite Pokémon turned around and used his back legs to kick dirt at Grovyle and Pikachu, blinding them with a flurry of dust. The second Magma battler was prepared with his own debilitating attacks. “Golbat, use Screech!” The Bat Pokémon let loose a sharp sound, lowering Pikachu and Grovyle’s defenses heavily. Both of Ash’s Pokémon covered their ears and howled in agony, being pounded on both hearing and sight senses. Ash growled at the two Magma grunt’s teamwork. They were good, but Ash didn’t get this far without knowing a few tricks. “Pikachu, hurry and use Dig! Grovyle, spin like a tornado to blow the dust away!” Pikachu, who barely heard Ash’s call, managed to successfully burrow underground, avoiding Golbat’s Screech attack. Grovyle also heard Ash’s command and started spinning rapidly. The move managed to blow the dust away, but Grovyle didn’t expect Mightyena to go at him with a Tackle attack to the stomach, knocking him back. Grovyle instinctively countered with a Leaf Blade attack, slashing Mightyena’s face. The wolf howled and jumped back, trying to shake off the pain. “Golbat, use Wing Attack on that Grovyle!” The Magma guard shouted, pointing to the Grass-type. The Poison/Flying-type Pokémon gave out a shrill cry as it lunged towards Grovyle. Ash narrowed his eyes in a calculating manner. He had to time it just right… “Grovlye, jump back on my mark…” Grovyle complied and prepared to jump back as the bat flew at high- speed. “…NOW!” Ash’s Pokémon jumped back immediately, the bat still locked onto its target. “Pikachu, Zap Cannon!” Right under Golbat, the ground started to erupted with overflowing electrical energy. ZAP! Golbat screeched as it received a direct hit from the Zap Cannon and was slammed against the ceiling by the ball of electricity. Pikachu jumped from the hole and smacked Golbat with an Iron Tail strike, sending it flying towards its trainer. Golbat instantly fainted. “Ah! Golbat!” The Magma grunt gasped. Being that was his only Pokémon, he immediately lost. It was now up to his partner. “Grovyle, Leaf Blade!” Ash commanded. SLASH! Mightyena received critical damage from the attack and fainted. The trainer owning the Dark- type snarled as he recalled his fainted Pokémon. Since that was also his final Pokémon, he was defeated as well. Maxie growled, not expecting Ash to defeat the two guards on his own. “Fine, looks like you’ve passed the test. Now I will battle you. It’s time to settle this!” After ordering the two defeated guards to retreat, Maxie took the stage. “I’ve always wanted to crush you in a Pokémon battle. Now I have that chance. I won’t hold back.” “That makes two of us!” Ash recalled Grovyle, letting Pikachu do the battling against the Team Magma leader. “Let’s make this interesting, shall we?” Maxie took out a Pokéball and enlarged it, preparing to summon the creature inside. “This will be a one-on-one match. If I win, you let me go with the Pokédex. However, if you win, I’ll give it back to you. How about it?” Ash didn’t need more than a second to decide. “I’ll take your challenge! Pikachu, are ya up for it?” “Pika!” Pikachu was pumped, ready to battle. “So be it! Go, Camerupt!” Maxie called, summon a large, 6 foot orange Pokémon with three volcano-like humps on its back and three blue oval rings on each side. The Eruption Pokémon roared as it stomped on the ground, creating a tremor. “Whoa!” Ash stumbled from the small-scale earthquake, surprised with the Camerupt’s power. He had to be careful, especially since the Pokémon was part Ground-type, immune to electrical attacks. Ash still had a few attacks he could use besides electric ones. “I’m not afraid. Bring it on!” Maxie grinned with anticipation. “I plan to, but first…” He snapped his fingers, and once again, battle music started to play. (Battle! Aqua/Magma team leader – Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire) “…Are you going to do that with every battle?” Ash exasperated, getting a little annoyed. Maxie scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Well…Yeah.” Ash and Pikachu face-faulted. Talk about ridiculous! “Fine, let’s just battle!” “You asked for it! Camerupt, let’s start this off with Rock Slide!” Maxie commanded. Camerupt lifted its thick hooves and stomped on the ground very hard, creating a powerful shockwave coursing through the tunnel. Many rocks started raining on Pikachu from the ceiling. “Pikachu, dodge using Agility!” Ash called. Pikachu zipped past the falling rocks with blinding speed, dashing towards the Fire/Ground-type. “Alright, when in range, use Iron Tail!” Pikachu, still dashing around, stiffen the muscles in his tail, making it harder than steel. “Camerupt, let’s take out that Pikachu before it gets close! Use Earthquake!” “Crap!” Ash gasped. Camerupt raised its hooves once more, preparing to initiate a powerful Ground-type attack. “Pikachu, hurry and run along the wall to dodge that Earthquake attack!” Pikachu hurriedly followed Ash’s directions and leapt onto the wall, running along it. When Camerupt pressed onto the ground, the tunnel shook violently and the ground ruptured, distorting the terrain. Though Pikachu was running along the wall, the attack was powerful enough to throw him off the wall and onto the ground, receiving some damage from the attack. Pikachu was shaken, but luckily didn’t receive the full brunt of the attack. “Keep going and use Iron Tail! Don’t let up!” Pikachu continued to dash towards Camerupt. ‘Hmm…I can’t let him get too close to Camerupt, though if he does, I can just use my secret weapon. I need to buy sometime in order to escape. …Oh, I know!’ Maxie eyed the narrow terrain and grinned sinisterly. “Camerupt, use Hyper Beam at full power!” Camerupt opened its mouth, conjuring massive amounts of energy… Ash furrowed his brow in thought. ‘Is there enough time to reach it before Camerupt uses Hyper Beam? Maybe, but I definitely can’t take out Camerupt before that attack goes off! Wait a minute…!’ His eyes widened in horror. ‘That attack…it would hit me too! I can’t survive a Hyper Beam! I need to stop that Camerupt!’ He knew performing Hyper Beam took some time to fully charge, leaving him with a small window of opportunity. Electric attacks won’t work, so that cut Pikachu’s power by a significant amount. Quick attack could work, but there was a chance it wouldn’t be strong enough to knock Camerupt off balance, given the Pokémon weighed nearly 500 pounds. Headbutt and Tackle wouldn’t do too much either, but maybe… “Pikachu, use Iron Tail on Camerupt’s chin! Knock off its aim!” Pikachu darted along the ground and was nearing Camerupt quickly. At this rate, it looked like Pikachu would make it…if only Maxie didn’t think ahead. “Quick, cancel and use Double Team!” Maxie commanded, smirking. Camerupt immediately stopped charging and just as quickly created multiple images of itself, stopping Pikachu in his tracks. “What?” Ash stumbled back, surprised. How was it something as heavy as Camerupt could use Double Team? “Kid, I’m not the leader of Team Magma for nothing. I’m well aware of your Pikachu’s speed and choice of attacks, and I have ways to counter each of them! Camerupt, Eruption!” At its trainer’s command, the humps on Camerupt’s back exploded with molten lava, lobbing them at Pikachu. Due to Camerupt’s Double Team, Pikachu couldn’t tell which was real and ended up getting a direct hit from the lava. Eruption was an attack where if the user was at full strength, it would do immense damage. Since Camerupt was healthy at the beginning of the battle and received no damage so far, the damage to Pikachu was powerful! “Pikachu!” Ash cried, watching his Pokémon get pummeled by the lava erupting from Camerupt’s back. “Hurry and use Dig! Get away from the lava!” And Pikachu did just that, slimly avoiding getting serious burns from the lava. “Hah, you idiot! Don’t you know if a Pokémon uses Dig, the damage inflicted by Earthquake is doubled? And given that your electric rat is weak against Ground attacks, this match is already won! Camerupt, use Earthquake and finish off Pikachu!” Camerupt did as commanded and created a powerful tremor in the earth, shaking up the very tunnel. Ash struggled to stay on his feet. “Hah, now your Pikachu is crushed within the earth! Any last words before I make my escape?” Ash chuckled ominously, making Maxie worry. “Yeah, two: IRON TAIL!” Suddenly, Camerupt felt a small rock fall on top of his head. When the Eruption Pokémon and Maxie glanced upward, their eyes widened in terror. Pikachu was right above Camerupt’s head! SMASH! Camerupt gave a loud of pain, suffering from a splitting headache. The attack did critical damage and Camerupt was left in a daze. “No, Camerupt!” Maxie cried. “Alright Pikachu, let’s give that Camerupt another Iron Tail! Full power!” Ash shouted. Pikachu stiffened his tail again and whipped harshly at Camerupt’s chin. SMACK! With that attack, Camerupt fell to the ground, quickly loosing consciousness from the powerful strikes on the head and chin. Maxie growled with fury. He wasn’t going to be beaten so easily! “Camerupt, hurry and use Hyper Beam! Use the reserves you’ve stored up from the previous one!” “What the—” Ash couldn’t say anything more as Camerupt opened its mouth and shot a powerful blast of energy at Pikachu, sending him flying! “PIKAAAA!” Pikachu cried, getting a direct hit. “Pikachu!” Ash dashed and leapt for Pikachu, catching him just in time. “Hey, Pikachu! Are you okay?” “Pi…kapi…” Pikachu muttered, fainting from pain afterwards. “Hmph, what an unexpected turn of events…” Maxie recalled his defeated Camerupt, clipping the Pokéball on his belt. “I suppose I’ll make my leave then. Farewell!” He started dashing away. “Hey, get back here!” Ash yelled. Pikachu in his arms, he ran after the Team Magma leader. When he arrived, he saw Maxie escaping in a hot air balloon shaped like Groudon’s head. “Give back my Pokédex!” “I don’t think so!” Maxie sneered, flashing the Pokédex tauntingly. “Not only did I acquire two shards of the Final Destiny from the Clefairy, but a locator to boot! With this, my dreams will soon be—what the!?” Maxie gazed upward in surprise. Ash was just as surprised. “It’s…Team Rocket?” Indeed, it was Jessie, James and Meowth, all piloting their signature Meowth balloon. “Seviper, use Poison Sting!” Jessie commanded. “You too Cacnea!” James called. The two said Pokémon shot a flurry of thin poison needles at the balloon. Many of them pierced the rubber elastic, puncturing it and causing the balloon to combust. “AH! NOOOO!” Two shards of the Final Destiny and the Pokédex flew out of Maxie’s hands, as well as his chance of victory. Just as Team Rocket always did, Maxie was sent blasting off, disappearing in the sky in a twinkle of light. James managed to catch the flying items as they flew at him. “Hey, would ya look at that. We actually sent someone else blasting off for once. Heh, no wonder the twerp always like to do that to us!” James said, feeling proud of their small feat. “Not only that, but we actually got something out of it for once!” Meowth gestured the two shards and Pokédex/locator. “Hey, Team Rocket!” Ash yelled, getting their attention. “Think you could give back my Pokédex? Um…please?” The minute he actually thought about his question, he immediately felt stupid. He was asking Team Rocket, the same band of thieves he had sent blasting off time and time again, if he could get a valuable object from them, with no means of stopping them. Yeah…brilliant one Ash… The three rockets began considering what they should do. They could easily just fly away with the shards and Pokédex, give them to the boss and be ensured a high ranking position for their achievements. But then again…had he not helped them out earlier today, Jessie and James would not have patched things up so well. There was only one reasonable way to do this. “Hey Ash, catch!” James yelled, tossing the Pokédex back to Ash. Surprised beyond belief, Ash almost missed catching the ever-so-valuable Pokédex. “Consider that as payment for helping us out today. In return, this pays back the debt we owe you, so now we’re even! The next time we meet, it’ll be back to basics.” Ash smiled brightly. “Yeah, I gotcha. Thanks a lot you guys!” He waved happily at the fleeting trio. “I’ll give you guys a break with the blasting off today. You deserve it!” James flashed Ash a thumbs up. Afterwards, he turned to Jessie and Meowth. “Let’s get going. The minute the other two twerps find us, we’ll probably be sent blasting off.” “Sounds good to me!” Jessie powered up the engine, making their getaway. As Ash watched Team Rocket escape from sight, Misty and Brock raced to catch up with Ash. “Hey, did you find Maxie?” Misty asked, panting from all the running. “Yep. See for yourself!” Ash flashed the Pokédex, causing his two friends to sigh in relief. “Though…I didn’t get the two shards of the Final Destiny…” “What? Aw man…” Brock shook his head in disappointment. “This means the enemy now has possession of the shards. This journey is getting more difficult by the second!” Ash shrugged. “I suppose so, but I guess this also means we’ll be traveling together for a little while longer. That ain’t bad if you guys are with me.” Misty blushed, trying hard to keep herself from saying ‘Aww…’ Instead, she went for the usual response. “Yeah, you’re right, though this means we’ll have to put up with you for a little while longer as well.” Misty giggled as she started back on the right path out of Mt. Moon. “Hey, that wasn’t nice!” Ash yelled, chasing after Misty. Brock couldn’t help but chuckle at their antics as he chased after them. He wouldn’t mind traveling with them for a good while. After finally finding the correct path, Ash, Misty and Brock headed off towards their next stop, Misty’s hometown of Cerulean City! -Somewhere on Route 4- Seeing as they finally made some success, James, Jessie and Meowth all found a vid-phone and called Giovanni to tell him of their findings. Giovanni, figuring it was them, answered the call rather roughly. “What is it THIS time, another failure?” “Nope! Actually, we got a surprise for you!” Jessie, the one who called, flashed the two Final Destiny shards at Giovanni. Safe to say, Giovanni was rightfully astonished. “What…but…how…YOU three managed to find not one, but TWO shards of the Final Destiny?” Giovanni blinked, believing this was some cruel hallucination. “It’s the real deal! We managed to get it for you, and don’t forget what you said: The day you three succeed in anything, you’ll be immediately promoted!” Meowth pointed out. Giovanni barely resisted the urge to slam his head on his expensive wooden desk. Never did he expect his insults to be taken seriously, or for it to turn out to backfire. However, he was still the boss of Team Rocket and did what he had to do. “…Fine…you three report to me with the shards immediately. We’ll talk more about your promotion in person. That is all.” Giovanni hung up the phone, feeling rather foolish he ever promised such a thing. The trio rockets continued to stare blankly at the empty screen, their faces frozen with shock. After years of struggling, they’re finally going to get promoted. “YAHOO!” All three shouted in unison. In a fit of glee, James lifted Jessie and Meowth in a hug, spinning them around. “We finally did it guys! We’re gonna get promoted!” James cheered. “From rags to riches! Big time money, here we come!” Jessie squealed with delight. “It’s about time I’m recognized as the top cat around here!” Meowth said. After some more spinning, James stopped twirling his two partners, gently placing them down. Meowth managed to slide down from James’s embrace, but Jessie and James continued to laugh, oblivious to their current position…though Meowth caught on a few moments later. “I see you two found a nice way to celebrate.” James stopped laughing and glanced at the cat Pokémon. “What do you mean Meowth?” “Err…J-James? Look forward…” Jessie said with a bright tint of pink on her cheeks. James did as suggested, only to turn red in the face as well. Not only was he still holding her, but their faces were very close, practically touching. The two were speechless and frozen, a feeling of both pleasure and embarrassment enveloping the two. “Well?” Meowth tapped his foot on the ground impatiently. “Go on and make-out already! We ain’t got all day!” That did the trick, because Jessie and James both shot away from each other. Their faces darkened with redness. “MEOWTH!” The two yelled, now red with anger. “Just wait until everybody hears this!” With that, Meowth darted off towards Team Rocket’s main HQ, a still-red-in-the-face Jessie and James hunting the cat down. “GET BACK HERE!” They yelled. Even though it was embarrassing to be caught in such a position, they were smiling on the inside. ‘Maybe someday…’ The two thought simultaneously. ----------------- And that’s the end of Chapter 11. You guys better be glad for this one, because it took me nearly a month to write this! Stupid writer’s block! Anyway, the next chapter is very promising, and one I’ve been waiting to write for awhile, so I hope to catch you guys later! You don’t want to miss the next one! Please review and let me know what you thought of the Jessie/James pairing. Did they seem out of character to you?