Disclaimer: Go sue someone else ya bunch of blowhards! I don’t own pokemon or else I’d be so damn rich, I’d hire someone to write this for me!
Trials and Tribulations: Chapter 4:The Past Comes A Knockin’
Well, the last chapter sure was… something! We find the extent of what Jessie did (think presidential administration…) and the full extent of her temper (think… really angry!). Now in the present, they have an explosive confrontation, though in the end they do (somewhat on Jessie’s part) admit their feelings to each other, forever changing Jessie and James’s relationship. Also, Ash and Misty are let out the room. Now, with everyone out, where do they go from there? Will Jessie tell James her past with Giovanni? How will James react? What will Ash and Misty do to Brock as revenge to what he did to them? Is this the longest recap of the series? Why is the sky blue? Whatever happened to J.R.? Find out the answer to some of the questions below!
The three rockets sat there, on their sleeping bags, picking at their dinner. Jessie had changed into a sleeveless pink t- shirt that exposed her well-kept middle, and a pair of short, red satin boxers that exposed her long legs. Her long red hair was bereft of the insane amounts of hair gel it usually had and flowed around her face.
James had on a white t- shirt that clung to him, showing of his muscular body and a pair of loose black sweatpants. His turquoise colored hair was combed backwards, revealing his handsome face.
Meowth was there looking at his friends every once n a while. The cat pokemon seemed almost as sad as the other two members of his team. Ever since that afternoon, Jessie and James were kind of happy, kind of sad. Oddly enough, they hadn’t said a word, only giving each other fleeting glances.
“Dat’s it! I can’t stand it anymore! The both o’ you talk!” Meowth screamed at them, the frustration getting to him.
The other two rockets almost jumped up in fright. They recovered quickly, though and just looked at Meowth. “Look, I have to go somewhere anyway. Just talk!” with that, he ran into the forest.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Jessie said.
“Well, I have to agree with Meowth. If there is something that keeps you from returning my love, you should tell me,” James replied. He sat down next to her, staring ahead into the fire.
Jessie looked at James, thinking, # If I tell him, he might not love me anymore. But I if I don’t he might not. All in all, I have nothing to lose, lots to gain. # With that she told him what happened, from the first meeting to the last. Her eyes stayed dry, but her partner’s didn’t.
“All that you went through for me? God, I am sorry, so sorry…” he cried burying his face in his hands. Jessie put her arms around him. “No James. It wasn’t your fault. I chose to do what I did,” she said. Even to her, the words sounded hollow.
With a ferocity and speed that scared Jessie, James leapt up, and went through his duffel bag he kept his clothes in. He took out his Team Rocket shirt and looked at it with such hate and loathing, Jessie could have bet good money he was about to burn a hole in it. Then he spat on it, and threw it into the fire.
Jessie stood up next to him, and watched as the shirt burned slowly. She looked at him, his gaze still fierce, his eyes still filled with tears. Then she looked back at the fire. They stood there for a while. Then Jessie looked at James again.
“About that time before? Thanks anyway…” she said as a lone tear went down her cheek.
“So, I see that your team is having a vast improvement huh?” The Boss asked, his face hidden in the shadows, as usual. Jessie and James were there, their heads bowed.
“It’s just luck, sir,” Jessie said.
“ ‘It’s just luck”? So far you’ve managed to capture a whole nest of Beedrill, a pair of nidorino and nidorina and a pikachu. Not the Pikachu you’re supposed to get, but a Pikachu nonetheless. Not that bad for ‘just luck’. For your work, you get a small bonus.”
With that, The Boss turned around. “You are dismissed, James. Tell Meowth I said hello. Jessie you stay behind. For your… assignment.”
“Thank you, very much sir.” James said, a grin starting to form on his face. He threw a glance to Jessie. His redheaded partner’s face betrayed no emotion. Using his good hand, he gave hers a little squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled, a faint smile. Then James turned around and left.
Walking down the hall left James a bit breathless. The wounds he suffered from Jessie were healing, but not fast enough. His jaw was set back and healed, and so was his nose. Sometimes, though, he would suffer from intense vertigo, and it came at the most unexpected times. His arm was still in a sling, and he had a slight limp when he walked. Sometimes, even walking was a bit of a chore, his ribs still suffering.
As he turned a corner, the aroma of food beckoned to him, and he limped as fast as he could to the cafeteria. Standing right there at the door though was Butch, smoking a cigarette.
The green haired rocket looked at James with disdain. He drew himself up to his full height, a good two inches taller than James. Butch, like most of Team Rocket wore the black versions that Jessie and James wore. It didn’t officially mean anything, but it was a way that Rockets knew their status.
“Where do you think your going bishounen?” Butch asked, in that scratchy voice of his. Butch and his friends called James bishounen, which meant pretty girl. It was their way of ragging on James for seeming so soft and sensitive.
“I don’t have to tell you anything!” James said, angrily.
Butch took a step forward to James. “Yes you do. Or else.”
“Or else what?” James took a forward, looking him right in the eye.
“I don’t know how bad your keeper beat you, but she seems to have beat you one to many times in the head. You seem to be forgetting your role.”
Suppressing a chuckle, James replied, “ And you, friend, seem to be watching to much wrestling. Now if you excuse me …” James started to step to the side, but Butch blocked his path.
“Uh-uh, Bishounen. You talk to much trash. Keep it up, I’m going to have to put you out.” With that he put out his cigarette on James arm. His broken one. Then he ran away laughing like a hyena with glass in its throat.
“Ass-hole.” James swore under his breath. He entered the cafeteria, his good mood fouled.
The cafeteria was almost the size of the auditorium. On both sides were the serving booths where agents picked up a free meal. The food was descent, but barely so. The chefs didn’t really care about the quality of the food, seeing as to how the major agents could either afford better or had their own service.
James walked over to one of the booths and ordered a dozen donuts and a large coffee. Since the cafeteria was almost empty, he had no trouble finding a seat. He silently munched on them, deciding what to do for the day. Suddenly, someone sat down next to him.
“Is this seat taken?”
“No… no…hey, wait a minute! Cassidy?” James said in recognition.
“Oh, hello, James.” Cassidy said. Jessie’s rival and former best friend, Cassidy was also Butch’s partner. She was a striking blond, her long hair styled behind her into a sort of three prongs, leaving short bangs to the front. She wore the black version of the Team Rocket uniform, as contrast to Jessie and James’s.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out making somebody else’s life miserable?” James asked disdainfully. James had nothing against Cassidy, but since she was Jessie’s rival he wasn’t to sure to act around her.
“Hey, look James, I’ve got nothing against you, capish? I just wanted to get a little something to eat, and if you have a problem with me sitting here, well then just move,” Cassidy replied. With that, she started eating her tofu burger.
James was a little taken aback at what she said, and kept his mouth shut. He started to eat a donut, but then turned back to her. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“Yeah, no prob,” she replied.
“It’s just that, what Jessie says about you, and the way you to get along, I just have to wonder what happened between you two…” James continued.
“Well, that’s what happened in the past. Hey, you going to finish off those donuts?”
“Well you could have one, I guess …”
“Thanks.”
Cassidy finished it off with a speed rivaled only by James. She picked up another one and began to eat it.
“Uh, so when’s the baby coming?” James said jokingly.
Cassidy went pale, and stopped in mid chew. She looked around to make sure no one heard what he said. Then she grabbed him by his throat and swung him around on the table.
“What the hell did you just say?!?!” Cassidy demanded angrily.
“Hey, hey, I was just joking! Calm down! Damn!” James sputtered out in surprise.
She let go of James, and sat back down.
#What in the hell got into her? # James thought, as he brushed of the front of his uniform, and readjusted his sling. He slowly got up, and grabbed the remainder of his donuts and coffee.
“Hey look, James. I’m sorry.” Cassidy said fearfully.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell Jessie.” He said to her.
That prompted a laugh from her. “Hah, you think I’m afraid of HER?! That’s funny!”
James felt himself get angry. “Hey, now you wait there a minute! What’s so funny about that?”
Cassidy raised her hands in mock surrender, a smile on her face. “No, no James, you misunderstand me. I figured you’d try to use whatever you had on me against me.”
James isn’t exactly the smartest person around and what he said next didn’t prove the contrary. “Wha-?”
Cassidy smacked herself in the head.
“You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
Cassidy got up and stood next to James. “I forgot. You don’t hang with him.”
“Butch? Of course not! I hate that bastards guts!” James said, remembering all the crap Butch put him through. Then he remembered he was with his partner. “Sorry. It’s just that he’s so damn, well, mean!”
Cassidy did something that surprised James. She looked kind of sad as she said, “Yeah, well, you’re right.” Then her eyes filled with tears, and she laid a hand on her stomach.
Realization dawned on James.
“Oh man. When did it happen?” he asked leaning in close to Cassidy.
She sighed and sat down. James sat down next to her. Cassidy looked over at him.
#Should I tell him?# she thought, looking over at James. He was looking at her, honest concern on his face. #Well, who’s he going to tell that would actually believe him?#
With that, Cassidy told James how Butch had started making passes at her, and how she wasn’t interested. She told him about times he would come back to their cabin, drunk and threaten to rape and kill her. Then she told him about the time he did rape her. She also told him she was afraid she was pregnant with his child.
By the time they were done talking, James got up and got some tissues for her. She accepted them gratefully. James had kept his mouth quiet the entire time, his face betraying no emotion. His eyes, though did give him away. They were filled with rage.
“Don’t you worry about a thing. I’ll handle it.” James said finally.
Cassidy got a worried look on her face. She grabbed James’s good arm.
“Oh, no you don’t. I don’t want you telling anyone! Not one soul! Don’t you even tell Jessie about this!” she hissed angrily. James turned his face away from her. She grabbed his chin and made sure that their eyes met.
“Promise me! Promise me… This is between you and me.”
“I … fine. I promise.” James said finally, hesitantly.
Cassidy sighed in relief.
Jessie shut the door to Giovanni’s room and sighed. Smoothing back her hair, she walked down the hallway, but then realized someone was following her. She turned the corner and waited for the person to pass by. As they did, Jessie tripped them and twisted their arm behind him.
“Hey, hey, mercy!” a scratchy voice said in agony.
Jessie dropped his arm, and pushed him angrily to the ground. She folded her arms over her chest, and looked at him get up. Butch struggled to his feet, and turned and faced her, an evil grin on his lips.
“So what’s up, red?” Butch asked, trying to use what he called “charm” on her.
Jessie scowled and started back along her way. Butch scowled himself, as he tried catching up with her.
“Hey, what’s your hurry? Can’t we just, talk?” Butch said, trying to soften his voice.
“About what?” Jessie said curtly.
“You know about… me, you…” Butch drawled, trying to look innocent.
Jessie turned to him, an amused expression on her face.
“Butch, are you hitting on me?” she asked, a smile on her face.
“Well, yeah!” he said unashamedly.
Jessie rolled her eyes, and kept on walking. “Whatever,” she told him.
Butch started to get angry. We caught up next to her, and grabbed her arm. Hard.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Jessie asked, her eyes flashing angrily.
“With you, whatever the hell I want!” Butch retorted.
Jessie grabbed his wrist and applied bone-cracking pressure to it. He started to wail in agony and let go. Jessie didn’t.
“Butch, I’m going to tell you something. Now listen up. What you are doing is how not to get the girl, especially when a) your voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, b)you have a terminal case of bad breath, and c) you ain’t all that,” Jessie said, her voice barely containing her anger. She let go of his wrist and continued on her way.
“You have to go out with me!” he shouted at her, cradling his sore wrist.
“Why? I just broke the only action you get?” she said, as she turned around to look at him, hands square on her hips.
“No, because I know you’re giving head to the boss.”
Jessie’s expression didn’t change.
“You are a sick son of a bitch, you know that? Keep to your delusions. Just leave me out of them.”
“Maybe I should tell your little bitch about my ‘delusions’?” Butch said in a sarcastic tone.
Jessie walked up to him, all humor gone from her voice. “You can say whatever you want about me, but just keep it between me and you, alright?” she told him angrily.
“Oh, don’t worry, I will. As long as I get some of the TLC the boss is getting.”
“Oh, that’s what you wanted…” Jessie replied in a seductive whisper. She stepped closer to him, and placed a slender finger on his lips.
“Well, why didn’t you say so?” she said getting closer and closer. Butch’s mind was to busy on where they were going to reply. As he put his arms around her slender waist, she put her arms around his neck. Then she kneed him in the crotch.
Butch screamed as his voice raised several notes. Jessie got out of his embrace and dusted herself off.
“I don’t like scum, much less touch it. Consider yourself lucky,” Jessie said as she went back along her way.
“Bitch! You’ll pay!” Butch stammered out as she walked off. By then he was on the floor clutching his privates.
“Yeah, well wait till my next paycheck,” she shot back.
“Bitch’s gonna pay…” he said more to himself
#Might as well check up on Meowth and the rest# James thought as he got up from his bed. He was inside the dorm he, Jessie and Meowth shared in the Headquarters. It was a three-bedroom dormitory, small with only a kitchenette, one bathroom, and a tiny little living room other than the bedrooms. They rarely stayed there, though, because they were often on the road or in their cabin in the woods.
As he left the floor, he went up a couple of floors to the pokemon center. Probably the most unique pokemon center in the world, it was bereft of one thing all the others had: a Nurse Jenny.
As James, got off the elevator, he almost back in. Butch and the rest of his crew were hanging around the entrance to the pokemon center. James breathed in deeply, and walked on out.
Butch turned around as he heard the elevator, doors open and shut. He turned back to his crew, and nodded. James started to come through, but was blocked by Butch’s friends.
“Bishounen! It took you long enough to get here! Come on, we need to talk!” Butch said heartily, as if they were long lost friends and they needed some catching up.
“I don’t have time for this. Just let me through,” James replied, exasperated.
Butch shook his head.
“Oh, no, we don’t bitch boy. We got some stuff to discuss. Namely your ‘pimp’.”
James was accustomed to their little names and didn’t care much about what they said to him. When it came to Jessie though, it was another matter.
“You leave her out of this. This is between me and you,” James said quietly, steel in his voice.
“Oh, my gosh!” Butch said feigning innocence and surprise, as he threw his hand up to his mouth.
“She never told you, did she? Aw, little bishounen’s pimp is being pimped. Isn’t that precious? And she never even * urk *” he tried to finish what he said but James had leapt on him, his good hand on his throat, his bad hand pummeling his face, his face a mask of rage.
“DON’T YOU EVER SAY ANOTHER THING ABOUT JESSIE!” he shouted as he kept on beating him up. Butch’s friends leapt to his aid and dragged him off, but James was still struggling, kicking and spitting like a wild animal.
Butch got up, wiping the blood from his nose, mouth and other cuts on his face with his sleeve, a deadly grin on his cut lips. He reached into his pocket,, and produced a switch knife. He flicked open the blade and held it menacingly. He ran the dull side of it to James face.
“You know, as soon as I’m done with you, your little pimp’s gonna want a new sex thing. I’ll be sure to apply. Of course she might be to busy with boss, or whoever else she opens her legs to.”
James saw red. Butch’s words pushed him to the edge. In a show of superhuman strength, he wrenched free of all those people and tackled Butch the ground.
Jessie sighed as she got out of the elevator. Giovanni was getting tired of her. Jessie was feeling better. No more of that sick man touching her, making her… well she wasn’t going to let that get her down. She’d go visit Meowth, and find James. Tell him they could go out or something. She wanted to catch that new play. #I wonder where James is# she thought. As the elevator doors opened, she got her answer.
Lying on the ground, were the unconscious (she hoped) bodies of the majority of Butch’s crew. In the middle of all of this was James, the white portion of his uniform gone, revealing the black sleeveless shirt he wore underneath. It had a nasty gash down the middle, evidently by a knife. His pants were shredded in a few places, but still together.
What James was doing shocked her all the more. He was battling the rest of Butch’s crew (one guy and Butch himself) in hand-to-hand combat. One of them charged James, but James ran to meet to his charge, and lifted him up in a fireman’s carry and dropped him hard on the ground. James kept on going, and jumped in the air. He launched a flying side kick that caught the other guy square in the temple. He went flying back, unconscious – or dead.
Butch raised his knife, trying to keep the fear he felt from making him drop his knife and run. James had laid waste to his friends, about ten of them, and didn’t even look tired. What he looked was royally pissed. Butch never even knew he was capable of such wanton violence. He heard the rumors that James had the best grades during training, and he knew that before they started chasing after the pikachu, his team was rising fast in terms of ranks. But he never knew why.
James turned to him, his expression that of pure hate.
“I told you not to say anything about Jessie. I warned you. Now you will pay.” He said, his voice full of steel and rage.
“Ba –back of man! I’ve got a knife!” Butch said, fear getting into his voice.
“So?”
#This guys nuts! ‘So’? # Butch thought, his concentration faltering. He futilely tried to slash at the enraged man, but James simply sidestepped. He grabbed his knife hand, and slammed it on his knee. Butch screamed, as bone cracked. The knife fell out of his numb fingers.
James threw him down, like a piece of trash and picked up the knife. He hefted it in his hands, noticing its nice feel, its weight, and ho sharp it looked. A wicked grin spread amongst his face, the thought of what he was going to do.
He turned around and faced Butch. Butch was trying to get up and run. Then he noticed James looking at him. Terror became evident on his features as he saw the knife in his hands.
James smiled at him. He kept on smiling as he licked the blade, by the edge, looking like a sadistic, psychotic freak. James walked over to him and stepped on his broken arm, putting his full weight on it. Butch screamed again.
James kicked him over until he was lying on his back. Then he knelt over him.
“Before I continue, lets make this clear: this isn’t just for Jessie. Don’t forget Cassidy.” James said bending over, his lips near the other guy’s ear. He pulled himself back up, and put the knife near Butch’s forehead. Then he made an incision.
“James, NO!” Jessie yelled, snapping back to her senses.
“Jessie?” James said in a bewildered voice, as if snapping back to his senses. He looked down at Butch, crying like a baby, whimpering. He looked at himself, realizing what he was doing. He dropped the knife in shame, and got up from off of Butch.
He turned to Jessie, looking like he had no idea what was going on.
“Did I do this?” he asked, waving his arm about the chaos around him.
“Yeah, James you did.”
Jessie hugged him tighter, as the uniform became nothing but ashes. She let go of him and got hers. She threw it in the fire.
“At least we don’t have to worry about firewood tonight, huh?” she said jokingly.
“What do you mean you’re breaking up with me!” Brock wailed.
“Trust me it’s for the best,” Nurse Joy replied.
“But after last night, and he night before…” Brock said in desperation.
“Which was great, I can assure you, but I don’t want a long distance relationship. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll stay!”
“You won’t be happy here. You know it.”
“You’re here! That’s enough for me.”
“Yeah, you’ll say that now, but what about till the sex gets old? You’re friends won’t be here. You’ll learn nothing. Trust me on this Brock. Get over me.”
Brock sighed and hung his head low.
“I’ll never forget you,” he sighed.
“Who are you again?” Joy said jokingly.
They both chuckled sadly. They kissed one last time, savoring it, as if to commit it to memory. Then, regretfully, they ended it. Brock started to walk away but then turned back around. Nurse Joy gently pushed him away. “Go” she mouthed.
Brock put on a half-hearted grin and went to rejoin his friends outside. Predictably, Ash and Misty were busy making out by a tree.
#Ah, look at them. So happy to be together. Hopefully I’ll find somebody who’d actually stay. # Brock thought wistfully.
“Ahem,” he said loudly. They both looked up, both of them getting red in the face. They stood apart, fixing their clothes, trying to think of something to say.
“Uh, yeah so thanks for checking, my, uh breath, Misty!” Ash said, trying to play it off.
“Anytime, Ash,” Misty replied, really happy.
Brock shook his head holding back a laugh.
“So where do we go from here?” he asked.
“Well, I say …” Ash began, but was cut off by Jessie.
“Prepare for trouble!” she called out.
“And make it double!” her partner replied.
They leapt out of the tree, oddly enough not in their uniforms. Meowth leapt out after them.
“Oh, c’mon guys! Can’t you try to capture Pikachu some other time?” Ash asked.
Jessie, James and Meowth started to laugh at that.
“Well actually, we quit Team Rocket. We no longer do that whole ‘try-to-steal-pikachu-with-elaborate-scheme-then-get-blasted-off-resulting-in-major-ouchies.’ T is so passé!” Jessie said in a valley girl imitation, sounding like one of Misty’s sisters.
“Yeah well, actually we’re just wondering if we can travel with you guys. Seeing as to how we want to become pokemon masters, it would just make sense to travel with you guys,” piped up James.
“Give us a second to discuss this,” Ash replied. Then he, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi got into a huddle. A minute and a couple of thunderbolts later, a fried Ash stepped forward.
“Yeah you can join,” he said as he fell down, unconscious.
Well, that’s the end of chapter 4. Next chapter: The repercussions of Jessie and James will be seen soon, but not quite yet. And to all those wondering why I haven’t been spending so much time on Ash and co, I just have to lay some background info on TR. Everything has a reason and it will show itself in the future. As always, send comments and suggestions to shagti2@aol.com and all flames to shoveitupyour@ss.com! See ya!