Bad Moon Rising

Chapter 4

By Windra

Team Rocket had followed the twerps for days after the Pikachu's first attack on James until they reached Ecruteak City, and, each time they showed themselves, the electric rodent had gotten more aggressive, and Jessie had gotten clearly unnerved because of that. She didn't want to have the mouse begin to fire an electric attack too powerful for James' body to handle, so she had made the group lay low for a while.

James' condition had gotten worse. He became more jumpy and easily upset, and he was getting less and less sleep. Unknown to Jessie, his body continued to mutate, despite James' attempts of stopping it. There were claws growing on his fingers and toes, and when he tried to clip them, they simply grew back a few minutes later. Because of that, he would never remove his gloves or boots. The hair was growing over his scars as well, and, even if James shaved it off ten times a day, it would grow back extremely quickly. The fangs in his mouth began to grow sharper, and more of his teeth were starting to sharpen.

And then there was the stub of the tail he was growing.

He would have to tell Jessie soon...

The new moon rose in the evening sky on the beginning of the third week since the wolf attack, and the Team Rocket members, including Mondo, had sat down at the table of Ecruteak's Inn, opening the box of pizza Mondo had picked up from the nearby Pizza Hut. As each of them grabbed a slice, they began wolfing it down, as they hadn't eaten since that morning. Meowth and Mondo finished their first piece within second and were reaching for more, and Jessie glanced at her partner, realizing that he was simply nibbling at the pizza while normally he would have finished his first slice before Meowth or Mondo. She stopped eating, looking at him with worry clearly written across her face.

James placed the pizza slice on the dish in front of him and stood up, earning looks of confusion from the other three Rocket members.

"Youse alright, Jim?" Meowth asked, swallowing the pizza piece in his mouth and cocking his head.

James simply scratched the back of his head, nodding. "I just feel a little wierd..."

"Maybe you need some fresh air?" Mondo suggested.

"Yeah..."

"I guess...go take a little walk?" Jessie guessed. "Want us to come?"

"Nah...I'll be okay."

"Come back soon, Jimmy!" Meowth grinned. "Or else we're gonna finish dis pizza for youse!"

James gave a small laugh, turning towards the door of the inn. "Don't worry, I'll...be back soon."

He walked out the door, and closed it behind him. Meowth and Mondo went back to eating, but Jessie stared at the door he walked through, knowing that something was very wrong...

The path James walked along was dark and cold, but he didn't care. At the moment, he just wanted to be left alone, trying to find out what was happening to him. He lost his appetite suddenly, but he was still very hungry...

...but for what?

He sighed deeply, removing the glove on his right hand and staring at his claws hopelessly. Something was wrong, and now, he was certain that he knew what he was becoming.

A monster...

How long, now? It was the new moon, then next week would be the half moon...then the full moon, right on Halloween.

He desperately wanted to tell Jessie how he felt about her, knowing that his time was running out, but he knew that she wouldn't think the same. He was useless, as she had said countless times for the ten years that they had been partners.

Giving a sad, soft sigh, he looked at the path, watching slowly as he walked out of the city, wanting not to be anywhere near Ecruteak, not wanting to be disturbed while he was deep in thought.

But he smelt something.

He jerked his head to the left to watch a small, harmless Rattata dart out of some bushes and across the road. It stopped and stared at James for a moment before hissing and jerking backwards.

James felt something inside of him, an impulse. He thought it was to catch the little rat.

But the hunger suddenly grew.

His eyes widened as a wave of realization swept over him, and he began to stumble backwards.

But his concious mind suddenly blacked out, and his body moved forward, running for the rodent.

**********

Jessie, Meowth, and Mondo continued to eat after James left, but Jessie was only half-aware of the room around her. The other half of her mind drifted off to think about James, wondering what was happening to him. He was attacked by a wolf three weeks ago, and was acting strange ever since.

Werewolf?

She pushed the thought away, shaking her head as she stared at the table.

Don't be stupid! Werewolves don't exist!

She seemed to have a battle with her own mind. pushing thoughts back and forth.

Oh? Ghosts didn't exist either, but what happened at Maiden's Peak?

That was different...

Was it? What's the difference? In our world, reality can be anything. We don't know what to expect!

Jessie stopped eating and placed her first unfinished pizza slice on the table, watching as Meowth snatched it up and began nibbling on it. Normally, the red-head would've whomped the cat on the head for stealing her food, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything now.

Meowth saw the look on her face, and stopped eating, placing the pizza on the table and looking at her. He mouthed a quiet, "I'm worried about him, too," to her, as to not get Mondo's attention.

Jessie didn't respond, and the cat fell silent as Mondo continued to stuff his face.

They nearly jumped out of their skin when they saw a blur run through the door and into the bathroom. Jessie bolted up, running towards the bathroom door.

"James?! What's wrong?!"

No response.

She knocked, but there was nothing.

Meowth jumped ahead of her, pushing the door open to reveal their partner leaning over the toilet, his face smeared with blood.

"James...?" Jessie murmered, walking up to his side and kneeling beside him. She was dimly aware of him silently crying.

Meowth froze, eyes wide with terror, but he shook his head, pushing the fear of his friend out of his head and padding up to him, placing a paw on his back. Mondo stood by the doorway, looking in with wide eyes.

Jessie whispered her partner's name again, her body trembling with fear and worry.

"Jess..ie...," the male whispered through chokes and sobs.

Jessie looked at him. "James...what happened?"

"Rattata...," he whispered, "In...the road...I...had an im...pulse...thought...it was to...c...catch it...but..."

"What...? What happened? What was the impulse...?"

"...To...tear every...thing...a...part..."

Jessie's eyes widened. She picked his head up, forcing him to look at her with eyes filled with tears. The sight tore her apart, but she fought it, and began to speak in a voice that was beginning to crack. "What do you mean, James?"

The male tore his head away and looked into the toilet again, crying as he tried to get rid of the eaten flesh in his system.

Jessie looked down, eyes widening as she saw his ungloved right hand. She picked it up and studied it, dimly aware of James' cry as he tried to pull away.

Claws?!

She looked at his face again, and noticed the hair...no, fur...sprouting out of his scarred cheek, and she saw blood-covered fangs in his mouth.

That was all it took before she began to break down, but pulled herself together, knowing that he needed her right now.

Meowth rubbed the male's back, fighting back his own tears.

"Jim...what else...happened to youse?" he whispered.

James glanced at the cat, and turned back to the toilet before murmering, "...Tail..."

Meowth didn't need to ask what he meant.

And all the while, Mondo watched from the doorway, not sure what to say or do.