Bad Moon Rising

Chapter 8

While the twerps left, Team Rocket had just hung around, basically. They would go into the living room to watch movies, which were mostly horror genres, as Halloween was creeping up too quickly. The would go into the kitchen and make snacks, with James forcing himself to eat to try and quell the hunger for blood that was building up again, and, once in a while, they would tell stories of things that made absolutely no sense, just to pass time.

After about an hour, James scratched his head. His scalp was tingling, tickling him, and it was getting very annoying. While Jessie, Meowth, and Mondo were watching the ending of 'Jason X', James retreated to the bathroom to find out what was going on-

-and screamed.

Jessie bolted up almost immediantly, followed by Meowth, then Mondo. All three of them crept up to the bathroom in a hurry, wondering what happened.

James was staring into the mirror, clutching his head with his mouth agape.

"My hair...," he whispered tearfully. "My...precious hair!"

Jessie blinked and walked beside him, trying to pry one of his hands off of his head. "James?" she whispered softly as James' hands fell limply to his sides.

Jessie's mouth dropped.

"Whoa...," was all she was able to murmur.

His normally sea-blue hair was now lined with pure white highlights...natural, or abnormal, highlights. James eyes watered.

"My...hair...my...hair...," he kept chanting softly, whimpering.

Jessie was having a harder time trying to register the thought.

Too quickly...he changing too fast...

James gave a weak smile. "Well...I do...look kind of...punkish..." He gave a mock grin, staring at his reflection and holding his arm up, with the pinky and forefinger sticking up, trying to act like a Hip-Hop artist.

"Ya look more like a old geeser!" Meowth commented, laughing at his own joke.

THWACK!

James chucked a hairbrush at Meowth, who was now on the ground with spiraling eyes. He gave a grin, then turn to Jessie, then frowned, seeing her face twisted in pain...

"Aw...c'mon Jess, it's not that bad."

Mondo nodded. "Yeah! It looks kinda cool!"

Jessie hesitated. "Oh...I...I...No...it just..."

She was shaking, then clutched her head tightly. Her eyes widened, and she began to back away.

"...Jess?"

James was speaking to her, but she didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to hear anything. She wanted to speak. She felt that if she didn't say anything to him she would explode.

But she couldn't....

Thinking hard, she swung around and bolted towards the door leading outside. She shoved it open and took off down the road, heading to the forest.

She had to think.

James blinked, then gulped, shaking his head.

"Jess...," he whispered sadly. "I've gotta go after her..."

He began to take off, but two shadowy figures appeared at the door. James, Meowth, and Mondo's eyes widened as they saw who it was.

"Not so fast, Romeo," said a frog-like voice.

**********

StupidstupidstupidSTUPID!!

Jessie ws running through the forest, not looking up or where she was going, and it was luck that she hadn't tripped over anything yet. The night cast an eerie shadow over the forest, and cries of various pokemon were emitted from the trees and thick undergrowth, but she ignored it. She ignored everything.

I always do...

She choked back a sob as she was running, and doubled over slightly, only to gain her composure and continue to run.

Her vision was blurred by the tears that began to well up in her eyes, and, not seeing where she was going, her foot caught on a tree root in front of her. She was sent flying to the ground quickly, and slammed into the ground hard, but she didn't care...

I never cared...

Jessie paused for a minute, then curled up into a ball, sobbing hysterically. Somewhere, she heard Sarah McLachlin playing, probably from a nearby trainer or a house that was close to the woods. The lyrics sunk into her mind, and she listened intently, her own thoughts mixing with them.

"The winter here's cold
And bitter
It's chilled us to the bone
We haven't sen the sun for weeks
Too long, too far from home..."

Why don't I just tell him? Why wait until its too late?

It won't be too late! He'll live!

If he doesn't?

"I feel just like I'm sinking
And I claw for solid ground...

I'm pulled down by the undertow
I never thought could feel so low..."

Then...

Then what?

Then...I don't know...I don't know what to do anymore...Oh Gods, it hurts!

"Oh darkness
I feel like...
Letting go..."

I need courage...I've had it for all the years I've been partners with him, for all of the years I stuck up for him, defended him...And he gave me more courage by being with me...protecting me from breaking down...

"If all of the strength and
All of the courage
Come and lift me
From this place...

I know I can love you
Much better than this...

Full of grace
Full of grace
My love..."

My love...

James is my love...

Why can't I TELL HIM?!?

"So it's better this way
I said
Having seen this place before
Where everything we say and do
Hurts us all
The more..."

I have to tell him...

How?

He'll reject me...

All those times I hit him, all those times I screamed at him...

I expect him to love me back?!

"It's just that we stayed
Too long
In the same old sickly skin...

I'm pulled down by the undertow
I never thought could feel so low..."

The hurt in his eyes...

He'll hate me even more...

It hurts...

But...

But I have to...

I must...

"And I will...I...can't hide forever..."

Jessie stood up slowly, staring at the direction she came from and wiping her eyes.

""I'll tell him now...and then...I'll...see what happens..."

She sighed and walked back to where she came from, holding her head up high and mustering up all of the strength and all of the courage that she had...

She would tell him...

"If all of the strength and
All of the courage
Come and lift me
From this place...

I know I can love you
Much better than this...

Full of grace

"I know I can love you
Much better than this...
Full of grace...

**********

James backed up against a wall, gulping as he looked at Mondo and Meowth, who were sprawled on the ground, out cold as Butch's Houndour stood victorious over them. Victreebel, Weezing, and Mondo's Ditto were out cold, witch an all too familiar Raticate standing over them.

Cassidy smirked and stood beside Butch, and, for a split second, James thought he saw guilt pass over their faces.

"C'mon James," Cassidy said slowly. "The Boss wants you."

"I-I can't...," was his reply, trying to inch away.

"You have to, James," Butch said slowly. "He sounded very serious about this..."

"Butch...I can't..."

Butch was shocked. James hadn't called him by his actual name for a very long time, always replacing it with Botch, just to make him mad. But he rarely called him his real name...

Which means he really is scared...and maybe not just about this...

A pause, then Cassidy spoke. "Sorry, Jim, but we have to take you to him whether you like it or not."

"We don't know why he wants you," Butch added, "but he ordered us to take you to him, even if it had to be forcefully..."

"I...won't go...," James whispered frightfully. "I can't...You don't understand...I'm not-"

"James...," Butch pleaded. "Come one. Don't make us have to force you."

James paused, and didn't answer for a minute. He finally gulped and shook his head. "No..."

"Sorry, Jimmy..."

Butch raised his arm over James' head and brought it down hard. There was a loud thud as the fist hit the blue-haired boy's skull, and fell to the ground unconcious. The green-haired male nodded to Cassidy, and, together, they hoisted him off of the ground and carried him out the door.

And Meowth watched it all in total horror. His head ached, and he couldn't move, as his whole body was in pain. He watched them leave wearily, then cursed lightly before whimpering James' name.

**********

Jessie ran up to the door to the inn room the group had stayed at, only to find it wide open. There was no sound inside, except some groans of pain. Fearing the worst, fearing that James had snapped while she was gone, she ran in quickly-

-"Je...ss...ie...," whispered a small, pained voice.

Her eyes shot towards the direction of the sound, and Jessie gasped as she saw Meowth pulling himself along the rug and towards Jessie, moaning with every move he made. His little body was battered and bruised, with cuts in numerous places, and a small bump on his head. His legs had bite marks on them.

Mondo was sprawled out on the ground, unconcious, and beside Weezing, Victreebel, and Ditto, who were beginning to stir.

"Meowth!" Jessie screamed, running towards the cat and picking him up, a little too quickly, as he hissed in pain. "Meowth, what happened?!"

Meowth's face paled for a minute as he waited for the pain to dissipate, and he slowly opened his eyes to look deep into Jessie's.

"Jim...," he whispered softly. "Jim...he's...in trouble..."

**********

Giovanni leaned back in his chair, brushing his right hand through his black hair cooly. He sighed, staring up at the ceiling as he rubbed his head painfully.

It had been hurting for the past few weeks...

Well, the swelling had gone down, at least, but there was still a bruise the size of a very large rock...

How true...

He grinned, pulling his fingers away and staring at his gloved hands. Hands that spilled so much blood, some spilled while he was doing his job, others while he fed.

And now he would meet his own creation, James Morgan.

A simple attack on the weakest member of Team Rocket had scarred his life, and Giovanni was more pleased than ever.

Soon, his plan would be put into action.

Soon...

But he would need his creation there, first.