Love Pallet

Ash was excited. Today, he would finally return to his pokemon journey. It had been quite a while since he had begun this unscheduled break in his journey (back when Misty had left), but he was now leaving Viridian City with friends both new and old in tow.

"Finally, we're on the road again!" Ash said contentedly as they all marched along. "Yeah, but where are we going?" asked Brock. Ash stopped in his tracks. He was happy to be travelling again, but he still hadn't decided where they should go yet. "Uhhh, I don't know. What do you think?" he asked. "Ash! This is your pokemon journey. Can't you make up your mind?" complained Misty. He grinned at her. "Well, I've made up my mind that you're the only one for me...but I still don't know where we should go," he said.

Misty smiled at him, satisfied with his answer. She really didn't care where they went, as long as she was with him. "Aww, that's so sweet!" said Jessica, making a gagging noise. "Hey, at least they're not all over each other...like last night," snickered Erika. Both Ash and Misty were blushing now. Things might have gotten out of hand if everyone hadn't been in the same room with them. "Since it was his birthday, I bet Ash was planning on losing his vir-," began Brock. He didn't finish his sentence due to Misty's mallet knocking the wind out of him. He doubled over, trying to breathe. "Like, that wasn't very nice, sis," said Daisy. She was peaved that Misty had hit her boyfriend, but she knew he deserved it...occasionally.

"Well, let's just stop fighting. I've made up my mind. Let's go to Cinnibar island," he said, trying to smooth over the tension between his friends. They all agreed that Cinnibar would be a welcome change of scenery, so they began the long trek to the coastline.

"Target in sight, Jessica." "Don't call me that!{hmm}...hey, where's the Pikachu?" "Der it is! It's ridin on de twerpette's shoulder!" "Since when does it like her more than the twerp?" "Who cares? Let's just grab it, or the boss will punish us again!" "Dat's right! I can't take anudder punishment like dat last one." James cringed at the thought of more torture at the hands of Giovanni's goons, but knew Jessie and Meowth were right. That was what would happen if they failed again. "Right, let's succeed this time!" he said with a confidence he didn't feel.

"Brock, are you sure we're heading in the right direction?" Ash asked for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Ash, the day you sense our direction better than me is the day I give my gym to you," said Brock flatly. "Okay, okay, but I still don't think we're going the right way," Ash muttered. Before the argument could go any further, Team Rocket jumped out from behind a bush and began to recite their motto. {So lame...}

"Prepare for trouble!" "Make it double!" "To protect the world from devastation!" "To unite all peoples within our nation!" "To denounce the evils of truth and love!" "To extend our reach to the stars above!" "Jessie!" "James!" "Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" "Surrender now or prepare to fight!" "Meowth, dat's right!" "Yeah, whatever," said Jessica nonchalantly. "J-J-Jessica?!" asked Jessie, sounding shocked.

"Yeah, that's my name," Jessica answered. "B-but why are you here?" Jessie was doing a fair impression of a Magikarp with her jaw hanging slack and her eyes bugged out. "Well, I heard about you and that goofball," she said, pointing at James, "giving Ashy here a hard time, so I decided to see what it was all about. So... how have you been, sis?" {Note: Interesting thing about Jessica #2! (That was the biggie)}

James, Ash, Misty, Daisy and Meowth were all speechless. Brock only managed to ask weakly, "Wait a sec...sisters?" "That's right, this red-headed blabber-mouth is my flesh and blood sister," said Jessica. "Watch you mouth little sister, because I just might have to clean it out for you," Jessie replied automatically.

"Yeah, whatever. I'd like to see you try it, sis," Jessica said condescendingly. Jessie still wasn't over the shock of the situation, however, and simply asked again, "W-what are you doing here?" Jessica gave her a more friendly smile. "I told you: I'm looking after Ashy. He's a good guy, and I was just waiting for the next time you two tried to screw things up for him." "You mean...you're hear to keep us from bothering him?" asked James. Jessica nodded.

"Umm, well...we have to bother him...I'm sorry..." began James. Giovanni's goons were still fresh on his mind. He couldn't figure out why the boss always had Jessie, Meowth, and himself always do the dirty work. Maybe the boss liked watching them fail. "And why is that?" asked Jessica seriously. "Well...can I talk to you alone, sis?" asked Jessie. "Sure," Jessica replied, hoping to get some straight answers. The two walked away from the rest of the group.

"Why the hell are you here?!" Jessie hissed at her sister when they were out of earshot of everyone else. "I already told you: I'm watching out for Ashy," Jessica replied smugly. "Oh, yeah. Sure. I believe that one," Jessie rambled incessantly. "Look, I don't care what you do, as long as you leave Ash alone," Jessica began resonably, "I just can't believe you gave up on your dream so easily..." Jessie's eyes widened as she heard her sisters last mumbled phrase. '...gave up on your dream...' The words echoed through her head over and over, threatening to overwhelm her senses. She could feel darkness welling up to claim her in its forgetful embrace of unconsciousness, but something kept her rooted firmly in the conscious world. Her sister had to know the truth.

Jessie looked directly into Jessica's eyes and couldn't help but feel tears begin to flow down her cheeks. "Jess...I have to tell you something," Jessie began. Jessica looked concerned. This was something she hadn't expected to happen. She motioned for Jessie to continue. "We...James and I...we're trapped. Team Rocket has us completely trapped. We can't get out." Jessie couldn't continue for a few minutes as she broke down. She noticed through her sobbing that Jessica had knelt down beside her on the ground and was embracing her in a sisterly hug of forgiveness. "Jessie...I'm so sorry. I didn't know..." That was all that Jessica could say. "It's not your fault. It's all my fault, actually. I even dragged James into this. God, I want out so bad, but I'd be dead within the hour if I quit." Jessie smiled bravely at her sister as she continued. "Well, I guess James and I will be tortured again for failing to catch Ash's Pikachu."

Jessica was horrified. "T-tortured?!" she yelped. She had known that Team Rocket was ruthless in its pursuit of power, but to be so cruel as to torture its own members...this was too much to bear. "Jessie, you're never going to be tortured again. Team Rocket has no claim over you. We're gonna get you out safely," Jessica declared. Jessie looked up at her through tear-streaked eyes. "But...but...but you can't! There's no way that you could help us...even the twerp couldn't take on all of Team Rocket alone." "Ash couldn't do it alone, that's true, but he's got a lot of friends backing him up...including me." Jessica brandished a pokeball. "You're a trainer now? What about your goal to become the world's greatest matchmaker?" Jessie asked. "I haven't given up on my dream. Some day I will be a great matchmaker, but for now a girl's gotta be able to protect herself," Jessica said, grinning mischievously.

That grin brought back memories to Jessie. Memories of long ago when she played children's games with her little sister. Both of them had been carefree back then. Now, this same grin was more meaningful somehow, as if it were a promise to Jessie that everything would be alright. "Okay, I guess it's worth a shot. It can't be any worse than the alternative," Jessie admitted, giving in. "Fine, but I still want to know about why you gave up on your dream, sis," Jessica prodded. "Well...I never really gave it up. Team Rocket has put a damper on it, sure, but I think I will be able to fulfill my dream some day. In fact, Team Rocket may have provided me with the best chance at fulfilling it." Jessica raised an eyebrow. "You mean..." "Uh-huh." Jessica giggled. {Oh, the suspense!}

When Jessica had regained her composure she and her sister rejoined the group. They explained what had been decided. Jessica asked Ash for his help, and he agreed to support the plan in any way possible. Brock, Misty, Daisy, and Erika all pledged their support as well. James was so excited that he might finally be free of Giovanni's clutches that he was running around squealing in delight. "Oooo! It's so exciting! I'm finally gonna quit Team Rocket! Oooo!" he squealed. "Settle down James, you're embarassing me. Plus, I don't want anybody to hear us. What if a field agent hears you and reports us to HQ before we're ready to strike?" Jessie hissed into James' ear as she caught him by the collar. His eyes grew wide at the possibilities and he whimpered as he nodded his head in agreement with silence. "Oh, James, don't be scared. We're gonna get out, now. We'll be able to do whatever we want after this. We'll be free," Jessie told him, trying to drag him up from depression. It worked. "Freedom..." James sighed. His eyes were glistening with tears of happiness. This was the first real hope the pair of Rocketeers had felt in years.

Jessie turned back to face Ash. "Okay, we're gonna have to discuss our strategy. I don't want to screw this us, because that will get us all killed." Misty planted her fists on her hips firmly and nodded. Brock frowned slightly in thought, then said firmly, "Okay, let's do this right guys." Everyone nodded as they sat down in a circle to discuss what they had to do and how they would accomplish it.

"Who goes there?" demanded a Rocket Grunt. "We don't have time to mess with him right now. Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on him!" "Pi-ka-CHUUUU!" The Grunt was unprepared for the electric shock and fainted before being able to call out a single pokemon. "Nice work, Pikachu. Let's go everyone!" Ash yelled as they continued into Team Rocket Headquarters. Thanks to Jessie and James' knowledge of the area surrounding the hidden building complex, they had been able to sneak into the headquarters itself. Now that they were inside, however, they were having to battle all of the Team Rocket soldiers stationed at their main base.

The group quickly sprinted down another corridor. Jessie was leading the way, followed by Jessica, Ash, and Misty. Erika, Brock, and Daisy were bringing up the rear. "How much further until we're at Giovanni's office?" asked Ash as they rushed along. "Not much further," said James as he appeared beside Ash. "WAHH! Don't do that!" Ash yelled at him as he punched him in the arm. "Oww...hey, what was that for?!" James complained. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" Ash replied. "Sheesh, I was only scouting ahead. I found out that they're setting up an ambush just around the second corner ahead." Jessie looked surprised. "That's only one hallway before the corridor that leads to Giovanni's office...why are they pulling their defenses back so far?" she asked. "It must be because we hit them so hard and fast," Brock suggested.

"Well, we've gotta go through them regardless, so let's just get on with it!" Ash said determinedly. "Right, let's go kick so Rocket butt!" Misty chimed in. ((Those two are scary when they agree like that,)) James said quietly aside to Jessie. She nodded in response.

The company of pokemon trainers rounded the next turn. "Hold on a sec," Brock said before they could reach the next junction. "What is it?" Jessica asked impatiently. "Well, these are Rockets we are dealing with. We know they'll fight dirty, so we need a strategy to defeat them," he replied. "What do you suggest, Brock?" asked Misty. "Let's all rush them with our strongest pokemon. That way, we'll be the ones ambushing them!" Ash's eyes flashed with determination. "Right. Ready, Pikachu?" He glanced at his pokepal to determine his readiness. "Pikachu!" Pikachu said with determination. Ash looked at the others.

"Go, Arbok!" Jessie yelled. James said, "Wheezing, go!" The two pokemon came out of there pokeballs. "Onix, Go!" "Polywrath, I choose you!" "Go, Gloom!" "Go umm...Fearow!" Everyone else threw their pokeballs and made sure their pokemon were ready. They all looked at Ash and nodded. "Right, let's go!"

The troupe rushed around the corner yelling orders to their pokemon as they went. "Onix, rock throw!" "Weezing, sludge attack!" "Arbok, bind something!" "Polywrath, use ice beam!" "Gloom, stune spore!" "Fearow, peck them!" The pokemon began attacking the unsuspecting Team Rocket agents. "Pikachu, finish it! Thunder!" "Pi-ka-CHUUUUUU!" Pikachu glowed yellow as he called a huge thunder attack down on the TR members. Those that weren't already knocked out of the fight by other pokemon fainted from the shock of Pikachu's attack.

Misty looked around. "Is everybody okay?" Everyone nodded after checking on their pokemon. James fidgeted as they started toward Giovanni's part of the compound. "Jessie, I'm kinda scared. Are you sure we can do this?" Jessie smacked him. "James, we can do this! We've come too far to turn back now!" James rubbed his head. "You're right Jess...I just don't want to lose you now. Now that we're so close to freedom. You're the only thing that's kept me going all this time," he said in a quivering voice. Jessica's eyes sparkled. "I knew it! You like my sister, don't you?" James blushed. Jessie turned a little red too, but that could have just been due to anger. "We don't have time for this now! We have to focus on defeating Giovanni!"

Jessica was taken aback by Jessie's outburst, but recovered swiftly. "You're right, sis." 'I'll deal with you two later.' Ash tapped his foot impatiently. "Can we get on with this? I'd like to finish this so we can get out of here!" Jessie replied, "Yes, let's get this over with." They slowly walked up to Giovanni's office door. Ash reached for the knob. James gulped. Ash's wrist twisted, turning the nob. The door squeaked slightly as it opened...

To reveal an empty office. "Damn, where is he?" exclaimed Jessie. "Looking for me, traitor?" said a deep sinister voice behind them. Jessie whirled around and Ash followed suit. James could just stutter, "G-g-g-g." "Yes, it's me. I must say, I'm slightly impressed that you two made it this far, though you did have help," Giovanni said, "I suppose I should thank you for finally getting that boy and his Pikachu here. It took betraying Team Rocket to accomplish your mission, but I commend you nonetheless."

Pikachu was growling, as was Ash. "Grrr, I'll get you Giovanni! Pikachu, zap this loser with a Thunderbolt!" Giovanni shook his finger at Ash as he said, "I don't think so. Persian, take out that mouse with your Fury Swipes." A Persian leapt in front of Pikachu as he started to power up. "Purrr..." *WHAM* The Persian flew threw the air and slammed into the wall. "Meowth! That'll teach you dat I'm still da top cat!" James laughed, "You always did like to make an entrance, Meowth."

"PikaCHUUUUUU!" A Thunderbolt shot out at Giovanni. "ARRGGGH!" Giovanni went down on his knees from the voltage that ran through his body. "Don't think you've defeated me this easily. I'm still going to win!" He chuckled as he dramatically reached for his watch and pushed a button. The ground began to rumble and the whole building shook. "Wha-what's going on?!" exclaimed Ash. The floor beneath Giovanni crumbled away, and large metallic head rose through the hole. Giovanni stood up on top of it. "Now you will see the true power of Team Rocket."

Giovanni popped open a hatch and crawled into the robotic head. The head continued to rise and soon the whole building was shaking apart as a pair of shoulders and arms appeared. "Let's get outta here!" screamed James, running around frantically. Jessie slammed him hard, knocking him silly. She drug him out as everyone recalled their pokemon and rushed for the exit.

Just as they reached the safety of outdoors, Team Rocket's Headquarters collapsed. A giant robot stood in the building's place. It looked like something out of a mecha anime. It was over three stories tall, with a reflective magnesium finish and the giant red "R" of Team Rocket painted on its chest.

//You fools have seen your last day! Now you die!\\ Giovanni's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "AHH, what are we going to do?!" James yelled as he recovered from Jessie's stunning punch. "Calm down you idiot!" she screamed at him. Ash looked at Brock. "What do you think, Brock? How can we beat that?!" he asked. Brock looked concerned. "A strong electrical attack might do the trick, but we'll probably have to breach that thing's skin for it to have any effect," Brock said, thinking aloud. "How can we do that?" asked Misty. "I have an idea. Why don't we use our biggest pokemon to pound it?" suggested Jessica. "Hmm, that could work..." said Erika. "It's worth a shot! Let's try it!" said Ash.

"Okay, Onix go!" yelled Brock. "Go, Chrizard!" Ash said as he threw a pokeball. "Go, Gyarados!" yelled Jessica. "What? You have a Gyarados?!" Misty asked, surprised. "Uhh, yeah. I didn't catch it or anything. It was a gift," she explained. The three heavyweights lined up to face off against the TR robot. The robot had already started to walk toward our heroes. It took one small, slow step after another. //As soon as I get over there you fools are finished!\\ said Giovanni. "Umm, he's a little slow, isn't he?" joked Erika. Ash and company sweatdropped. //I-I heard that! You'll pay!\\

Giovanni's robot crept closer and closer. "Alright guys, time to show Team Rocket what we can do! Charizard, tackle that robot!" directed Ash. "Onix, bind its legs!" "Gyarados, do something, too!" Charizard took off and swooped down from above the robot, crashing into its midsection. It shook unsteadily, but stayed upright. Onix wrapped its body around the robot's legs, causing it to come to a halt. Gyarados just stood there, looking at its trainer for further instruction. "Uhh, Jessica? Don't you know any of Gyarados' attacks?" Misty queried. "Well, not exactly. That's partly why I never use him." Misty sweatdropped. "Have Gyarados use its dragon rage," suggested Brock. "Umm, okay. Gyarados, try using Dragon Rage!"

Gyarados nodded and turned to face Giovanni's metal monstrosity. Gyarados began to glow red as it powered up, then it used Dragon Rage on the robot, causing it crash to the ground and lay sprawled on its back. A large dent appeared in its torso. Ash cupped his hands and yelled, "Charizard, use your flamethrower on the spot that Gyarados weakened!" "Char!" Charizard spat flames out of its mouth, melting a human-sized hole in the robot's torso. "Quick, Pikachu! Use Thunder on that hole!" Ash directed. "PIKACHU!" The little pokemon charged at the robot, then let loose a Thunder attack against the giant mecha. The robot began to smoke. //I'll get you meddling...BZZZTTT!\\ {That almost sounded like Scooby-Doo... >_<}

A rumbling noise emanated from the robot and it began to vibrate. "Ash, let's get out of here! I think it's gonna blow!" Brock yelled. Everyone quickly recalled their pokemon and ran for dear life. *BOOOOM!* The Team Rocket construct exploded, sending shrapnel and debris flying everywhere. Ash and company dove for cover in a thicket just as it erupted.

As the ringing in his ears subsided, Ash said, "Whew, that was a close one. Everybody okay?" He looked around to check everyone for injuries. Brock was okay, and he was checking on Daisy. Erika and Jessica were slightly dizzy and disoriented, but they didn't seem to be injured. Ash ran over to where Misty was sitting on the ground. "Misty, are you okay?" asked Ash, concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine...but you're bleeding," she said as she stood and started doting over him. She took out a first aid kit from her backpack and removed some gauze. She dabbed at the cut on Ash's forehead, then bandaged it. "Thanks, Mist," he whispered as he pulled her into a warm hug. She squeezed him to her, not wanting to let him go. "That was really close, Ash. I thought we were goners." He kissed her lightly on the cheek. "It's okay, Mist. We're all fine. Let's head to Cinnibar tomorrow, after a well-earned rest."

Someone tapped Ash on the shoulder, breaking him out of his little world where only he and Misty existed. He slowly pulled out of Misty's embrace and turned to face Brock. He reached over and clasped Misty's hand as he turned, not wanting to break all physical contact with her. "Ash, I've got some bad news," Brock said grimly. Misty's grip tightened on Ash's fingers. "Is it Daisy?" she squeaked. "No, no. It's James. He got hit badly by some shrapnel. We need to get him to a hospital, fast."

Ash looked toward Jessie, James, and Meowth. Meowth was pacing back and forth in worry, while Jessie was doting over James much as Misty had done Ash only a few moments earlier. "Is he gonna be okay, Brock?" Ash asked in a shaky voice. "I don't know. I just don't know," Brock replied.

TBC...

Now, some questions that need answers: Is Erika really still after Ash? Where did Jessica get a Gyarados? What happened to Giovanni? Will James survive? Find out on the next episode of Love Pallet!

Yeah! I finally finished episode 8! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry about the time delay, but I hit some major writer's block in the middle of this chapter. I may not have any updates for about a week, since I have to study for finals. I'll post again as soon as possible, that I will. As per usual, please review! Send comments and criticisms to jon_schug@yahoo.com! PLEASE! I need input!