Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of the characters within this story etc. etc.
Memories Past/ Last Goodbye
The scene of this story doesn't actually open with anyone, only the cold night air that
surrounds the tunnel of Mt Moon. We move towards the cave now. The entrance
where young pokemon trainers, who have just started their venture and are usually
making their way through the tunnel to Cerulean city, is now blocked with rubble. It
appears there has been a landslide and it will take weeks, maybe even months to
clear. The damage is serious, not even three Machamps could clear this. Officer Jenny
can be seen walking away from the scene. She is talking into a cell phone, sounds like
there are some of the strongest known fighting pokemon being transported from the
Elite Four Headquarters, but Jenny knows it will take no less than a week for them to
arrive. She sighs to herself, thinking of all the young trainers she will have to redirect,
and all the other hassles she will have to put up with. She sighs again, shaking her
head wearily, at least there weren't any people involved in this terrible accident. If
only she knew…………..
We will now drag our attention back to the cave, push our way through the rubble
blocking the entrance and make our way inside. As we enter the darkness, a couple of
Zubats can be heard fluttering around near the entrance, where they would usually
not dare venture, however, with no nearby pokemon trainers waiting to capture
them, they now feel safe and flit around in the darkness. However, there are some
nearby pokemon trainers, five to be precise, and they all sit in the darkness together,
waiting for help. Sitting on one ledge, looking dejected , are Jessie and James from
Team Rocket. Meowth is sitting on James' lap, his eyes half closed, lulled by the
blanket of darkness that is now wrapping him up. James lies half asleep on Jessie
shoulder, who is clutching his hands tightly in her own. He stifles a sob, not wanting
anyone to see his tears. Seated opposite the three are the four familiar faces of Ash,
Misty, Brock and Pikachu, looking similarly morbid. Ash holds his hat nervously in
his hands, staring at the inner seam, thinking of how long he has owned this cap.
Misty is sitting next to him, with pikachu curled up, asleep, in-between them. She has
tucked her knees up under her chin, and is now resting her head on them, rocking
back and forth slowly in the darkness. Brock is sitting right at the end of their
makeshift bench, isolating himself purposefully. Like James' he wants nobody to see
the tears of sadness welling up in his eyes. He looked around the sorry group, and
wondered what each of them was thinking. And that is what we shall look at. For you
see, even if this first paragraph is in present tense, all of these characters thoughts are
in the past. And so we continue
Ash is still staring at the hat, thinking about how he got it. He vaguely remembers it
being linked to his father, but that isn't all he remembers about this distant figure in
his memory. He remembers, when he vas a lot younger, waking up late one night
after having a nightmare. He listens to find out if his parents are still awake. The
young Ash can hear vague murmurs and presumes they are awake and walks over to
the door. The younger Ash is about to push the door open, when a noise unfamiliar to
his young ears floats through. It is his mum crying, quite violently. He peaks through
the crack in the door, the only thing he can see is his own mothers tear streaked face.
She looks up at who he presumes is his father, although in his memory, he is only a
shadow.
"How can you do this to me?" she pleas desperately, fresh tears welling up in her
eyes. The voice responds, in a low, distorted voice.
"You know I have always been one to follow my dreams, and this new organisation
say they are looking for strong pokemon trainers to help them.
"But you can't leave me alone." She continues to cry back "Ash is so young, I can't
raise him by myself, and he needs a father figure to look up to."
"But Ash will be fine without me." He numbly replies, in an argument that he doesn't
really want to win in all honesty of his heart.
"And what about me? I love you Kurt, and I don't know how I can live without you.
How can I live without your smile, your eyes, and your heart." Ash can hear his
father sigh, and he sees a pair of thin lips kiss his mum on the forehead.
"I will always be in your heart." He hears footsteps coming towards the door, and in
his fear, runs back to his room and hides round the corner of the door. He listens to
his dads footsteps as they trail away down the stairs, and he hears the door shut. He
sits at the door for a long time, waiting for it to open again, waiting for his dad to
change his mind and come back, not to leave him and his but he never does.
Eventually young Ash crawls back into his bed, but never goes to sleep, as the sound
of his mother crying heart wrenchingly in the other room keeps him awake all night.
The last visual memory of his father seemed to die three months later, when an
official looking letter arrived on the doorstep. He remembers his mum smiling as she
picked it up, smiling as she opened it, and her face falling apart as she started to read
it. She ran out the room dropping the letter as she went. Ash picked it up. The letter
claimed his father was MIA (Missing In Action). He took one last look at the letter.
The header in the corner had the now all too familiar logo of Team Rocket.
The red R flashed in front of his eyes and it took Ash a little while to realise he was actually
staring straight ahead of him and was looking at James's white top, which looked a
dingy grey in the darkness. He glanced to his left at Misty, who was now asleep, but
was obviously not having a good dream. Misty's dream was again of the past, of
reasons why she had left her home in Cerulean, or more precisely, why she had run
away.
In her dream, Misty was nine years old, and was starring as the lead in her school
play. In nine year old Misty's eyes, this was one of the best things that had ever
happened to her. She had always wanted to get a good part in the school play, just as
her sisters had always done, and had always rubbed it in her face that she hadn't. She
was wearing the most gorgeous dress, made of velvet and ribbons, a wonderful
scarlet colour that brought out the natural highlights in her hair. She was on stage at
the moment, waiting for the curtains to open and for her true talent of acting to finally
shine through, so she could show her sisters that she was just as good as them, to
show them that she wasn't their ugly, untalented little sister but their pretty and
gifted younger sister who was in many ways just as equal to them. It wasn't jealousy
that was fuelling her to do this, but the desire to feel loved, the fact that she looked up
to them so and just wished to get a tiny bit of praise and not so much respect as belief
from them. She had no time for thoughts now, the curtain was starting to open. She
quickly adjusted her collar, and started her skipping around the stage, miming
picking flowers. She picked up a rose and stared at it longingly, as her character did
in the play. She started her monologue, her voice ringing clearly and concisely
through the hall. She could hear some whispers of praise among the crowd and a
smile grew across her face as she realised just how well she was doing. She looked for
her sisters in the crowd and soon had them spotted. She smiled even larger as she saw
her sisters talking. Perhaps it was them she could here giving words of praise about
her performance. Misty shuddered in her sleep as she realised what was coming. As
dream Misty looked at her sister, still skipping, she suddenly felt herself slipping. She
looked back, and quickly realised she had trodden on that beautiful dress of hers. The
she turned back to stop her fall, only to see the large metal frame which was holding
up most of the scenery looming in front of her. She tried to stop herself from falling,
but it was too late, and she went head first into the cold metal. Before she blacked out
however, there was something she heard which hurt much more than the blow she
had just taken to the head. As clearly as her voice had been during her monologue,
Misty heard her sisters voices ringing across the hall.
"I knew she would mess up."
"Little Misty can never get anything right, can she?"
"It is just so typical of her to get everything wrong like this, I can't believe she is our
sister?"
Misty shivered again in her sleep, and sniffed slightly, causing Brock to look up from
his stupor at the end of their seat. He turned back briefly, and then went back to his
own thoughts, which leads us to another short story.
Brock is sitting in a hospital, next to a bed. His mother lies there, hooked up to
numerous wires and tubes, pumping so many different chemicals through her veins,
Brock wondered what it felt like. A heart monitor bleeped continuously and steadily.
Brock leant forward toward his mother, looking for a sign of consciousness. Her eyes
fluttered open, like a butterfly opening its wings for the first time. She smiled at him,
which seemed to take all the energy out of her alone, but she seemed to think it was
worth it. Brock smiled back. She was so beautiful, and she cared about him so much.
He didn't know where his dad was, he didn't even know if his dad had got the
telegram he had sent to him, informing him of his wife's illness. She smiled at him
again.
"Brock?" her voice quivered nervously in the air.
"Yes mum?" he said, full of concern, practically jumping off his seat, ready to get her
whatever she wanted.
"What is your dream Brock?" He was taken aback by this question. He had expected a
request, not an unusual question that seemed of no relevance what so ever.
"You know the answer to that question mum?" he smiled. "You know I love
pokemon ,and that all I ever wanted to do, since I was younger than any of my
brothers or sisters, was to be a pokemon breeder." They both smiled, reliving past
conversations. She looked him straight in the eye, her face full of seriousness now.
"Brock I want you to promise me something, right here, right now."
"Yeah mum"
"I want you to become the worlds most famous pokemon breeder. Will you promise
me that?" A smile grew across Brock's previously anxious face.
"For you mum, anything." He leant forward and gave her a big hug. She flopped back
down on the bed, in exhaustion from that last hug, and closed her eyes again. Brock
leant forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead, enjoying the quiet moment. He
stared at her for a moment, she looked almost ethereal. Suddenly, a sharp noise
interrupted his thoughts. The heart monitor was now flat lining. He jumped up,
screaming for help, trying everything he could, but it was too late. The doctors tried
but they could not save her. He had made her that promise and had vowed to keep it.
Brock shook himself back into reality. Now he could never fulfil his promise. More
tears trickled through the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the ground below.
The damp surrounding the Rocket trio seemed to mingle with James' tears, which
were now soaking into his partners white uniform. Jessie didn't care about this
though. She wanted to wake him up, for like Misty, he was having a dream which
was causing him great discomfort, but with all seriousness, she didn't have the
energy. She tried to imagine what he was dreaming, but only James and the scars that
cover his chest and back could tell us the answer to that question.
Dream James was once again at home, sent up to his room in disgrace for not
allowing his parents to dictate his life for him. They told him everything that he was
to do in his life, from who he was going to marry, to who he would include in his will.
This young dream James couldn't take all this pressure. All he wanted was to live his
life, all he wanted was to have the freedom to choose things for himself, and all he
wanted was for someone to love him. However, none of this seemed possible in his
current life. He started packing his things to run away (the fourth time in two
months). He got quite far this time, he actually got down to the back stairs, only to be
confronted by the small demon that blocked his way, Jessibelle.
"James darling where are you going?" she asked sweetly.
"Leave me alone Jessibelle, I am running away, and you can't stop me." He started to
push past her, ignoring the feeling that said, as usual, he wouldn't make it. It seemed
that Jessibelle didn't like his plan, for the next thing he knew, she had released the
small Oddish that was clutched to her chest.
"Oddish, sleep powder." James coughed and spluttered, feeling the painful powder
burning his lungs, seeping into his mind, lulling his vision into darkness. Normally
when this happened, he would wake up locked in his room, having been carried there
by some servants who had been ordered to do so by Jessibelle but not this time. He
blinked violently, and suddenly felt a sharp pain around his wrists and ankles. He
made his body taut and slowly opened his eyes. He had been tied to a wall in their
cellar. He looked around, realising that he was at least five feet off the ground, and
was now shirtless. He struggled slightly, only to feel the burn of friction from the
ropes tied around his wrists. Jessibelle stood in front of him, brandishing the whip she
had found in the attic.
"Why do you keep trying to run away James?" she asked, twirling the whip playfully
in her hands.
"Growly, help me!!!" James called frantically. He heard a slight whimper in reply.
"Grroow………lyy….." James searched desperately for the source of the voice, and
soon found it lying poisoned in the corner of the room. He was in bad shape, and
needed help fast, as Oddish poison wasn't slow to clear out the system.
"I didn't want you to be taken away from me by that flea bitten mongrel this time
James, so I had my darling Oddish take care of it for me."
Jessibelle" he pleaded "he needs help, he could die without medical treatment."
"what a shame." She laughed, "now shut up or I'll make you shut up ." James
couldn't of imagined what happened next., so he screamed for help, even though he
knew the cellar was completely sound proof, and no one would be able to hear him.
Without warning his cry was cut short by a sharp snap of Jessibelle's whip across his
face. He glanced down slightly, able to see blood trickling from his lip, down his bare
chest. She looked him dead in the eye, just to let him know that she meant everything
that she was about to do. Another sharp snap across his chest let him know precisely.
Every blow from her whip, got more painful, and more accurate. More blood was
shed, and his once pale young chest, was soon as red as the centre flame of a Moltres's
flame. It was days before anyone found him ,and although the blood had dried every
night, Jessibelle would come down every day until he was found, to open up old
wounds, and usually to create new ones too.
James shuddered, as he flickered his eyes open, wishing for the painful memories, and scars
that had never healed to float out of his mind. He looked over at Jessie, although many
found her similar looking to Jessibelle, he knew that at least her heart was not made of
stone, and that her soul was peaceful, and could never have the guilt that must rest on
Jessibelle's mind every day. James was wrong though, because although to him, Jessie was
untroubled, she knew that she had a terrible secret, and the memory lingered with her
everyday. It was only because now she was completely alone with her thoughts, that she
finally allowed herself to remember what had happened that day.
She and James had met in pokemon tech, flunked, joined a bike gang, and were then
recruited by Team Rocket. She remembered the interview day, she and James had ran
into TR H.q., and were pleading to be let in, as they had no place to go, and this was,
in many aspects, their last chance. Giovanni interviewed them both separately. James
went in first, and came out looking pale and quite shaken. He wished Jessie luck and
she entered Giovanni's office. She sat down in front of him, pulling her short skirt a
tiny bit further down her long legs. Giovanni looked her up and down, and laughed.
"Do you really think Team Rocket needs a little shrimp like you." Jessie felt
threatened by his presence, but none the less, tried her best to stand up to his
taunting's.
"Excuse me? How dare you talk to me like that! I am probably stronger than you and
all your men combined." She laughed for effect. Giovanni's face changed rapidly. His
mocking smile soon turned into an evil grin. He stood up, so she could see his full
height. Now she really did feel threatened. She jumped out her chair, and ran towards
the door, only to find Giovanni blocking her path. He pushed her into a corner and hit
her round the face. She stood completely still, dazed for a moment. He pushed his
frame towards her. She could smell his breath. He placed two hands on her breasts
and ripped her top off, causing her to scream, but another blow to the face soon shut
her up. He pushed her to the floor and started to pull up her skirt and pushed his
hands into her underwear. She tried her best to push him off her, but it was useless,
she was too weak, having not eaten for two days, and couldn't push him off, before
she knew what had happened, he had pushed himself inside her, and was pushing
and pushing. She wanted to scream, but a large hand silenced her, she just lay there,
waiting for it to end, praying for this pain to stop. Eventually it did. He stood over
her, looking proud.
"I guess we can see who is the stronger of the two." He clicked his fingers, and two
men, in black Team Rocket uniforms entered the room ,they seemed to know what to
do, and took her into an operating room. She couldn't fight back, all the energy had
been taken out of her. She awoke to find she had several stitches in her arm, and
could feel there was something underneath her skin, something implanted. She
looked around her, she was in a Team Rocket cabin, a note lay next to her bed. It
read:-
'Jessie, thanks for the good time. You have successfully entered Team Rocket. Go to
cabin 12-b, to collect your new uniform and go to cabin 173-c, to meet up with your
team partner James. As for the little operation you have just been through, don't
worry, it just makes sure that I will always be with you.
Giovanni'
Jessie remembered going to meet James, planning to tell him what had happened, but
she couldn't. He himself was so young and innocent, would his fragile mind be able
to handle the idea of someone he knew being raped? She didn't know, so James never
found out. And neither did anyone else. Jessie felt a cold sadness creeping up on her.
She felt tears well up in her eyes, and was about to let them out, when she felt a tap
on her shoulder.
"Hey Jessie, the kids are all getting ready to go to sleep, we should probably do the
same." James whispered. She walked over, and saw they had all made a pile of their
poke balls, and had marked their names and who they belonged to on the red shiny
surfaces. The two Team Rocket members did the same. Pikachu had been put in his
poke ball by Ash, who had wanted him to live on after his master and Meowth, much
to his complaints, had been trapped in a spare poke ball by James, and was put in the
pile with the others All of them knew that they probably wouldn't make it through
the night, and were preparing now for their pokemon to stay safe with whoever
found them. They all said their last goodbyes to their pokemon and each other. They
then layed down together for what could be the last time. Misty wrapped herself
round Ash, a mutual feeling of love between them, not the romantic kind, but the
kind that showed you really truly cared. James also lay down. He called to Jessie.
"Are you coming to bed soon Jess." He smiled weakly. Jessie nodded, and sat down
in a corner nearby and pulled out a knife. She dug it into her arm, making a clear cut.
She gritted her teeth and dug her nails in. Twenty seconds later she succeeded in
pulling out a small electronic device of some kind. She laughed, thinking about how
pathetic Giovanni truly was, and stamped on it, crushing all the circuits inside it. She
came back over and lay next to James, who immediately put an arm round her and
held her closely. Like Ash and Misty, they shared a bond, but on a much higher level.
James noticed the cut, but didn't bother asking, somehow, he felt like he already knew
what it meant.
Finally we get to Brock. He sat and waited for the others to drift off. He had grown
attached to them all (even Team Rocket). He walked round, giving them a motherly
kiss each on the forehead, as he used to do each night with all his brothers and sisters.
He thought of his mum one last time, and lay down in-between the two couples, and
drifted off into the longest sleep he would ever take.
Epilogue
You may be thinking how sad it is that none of the characters got to live out their
dreams and goals, but a spirit must be looking down on all of them ,for within that
year all of the following happened.
Ashes dream to become a pokemon master almost came true, after his pikachu was
found. It was announced to be one of the best trained and most powerful pokemon
known to their world, and Ash was famed for raising this wonderful creature.
Misty's body was buried at her home town in Cerulean, where her sisters talked at
her funeral. They told everyone how much they truly admired their sister, and that
they wished they could of told her in her lifetime.
Brock's father had discovered Brock's old pokemon food lab at the back of their
house, and world wide, some of the most skilled trainers would come to use his
recipes to raise their pokemon.
James had proven to his parents that although he died tragically, and didn't have one
of the most successful lives in the world, he had died in the arms of someone who
truly cared about him, as he had always wished for.
And as for Jessie, her journal was found, and Giovanni was arrested and placed in an
isolated prison area, forever cursing what he had done to Jessie, as it was her words,
and her truth, that had metaphorically ended his life,.
So you see, in a tragic way, their lives ending brought all their dreams into reality,
and up in heaven, you can bet that they are all smiling now, watching over all those
who have a dream.
Memories Past/ Last Goodbye
The scene of this story doesn't actually open with anyone, only the cold night air that
surrounds the tunnel of Mt Moon. We move towards the cave now. The entrance
where young pokemon trainers, who have just started their venture and are usually
making their way through the tunnel to Cerulean city, is now blocked with rubble. It
appears there has been a landslide and it will take weeks, maybe even months to
clear. The damage is serious, not even three Machamps could clear this. Officer Jenny
can be seen walking away from the scene. She is talking into a cell phone, sounds like
there are some of the strongest known fighting pokemon being transported from the
Elite Four Headquarters, but Jenny knows it will take no less than a week for them to
arrive. She sighs to herself, thinking of all the young trainers she will have to redirect,
and all the other hassles she will have to put up with. She sighs again, shaking her
head wearily, at least there weren't any people involved in this terrible accident. If
only she knew…………..
We will now drag our attention back to the cave, push our way through the rubble
blocking the entrance and make our way inside. As we enter the darkness, a couple of
Zubats can be heard fluttering around near the entrance, where they would usually
not dare venture, however, with no nearby pokemon trainers waiting to capture
them, they now feel safe and flit around in the darkness. However, there are some
nearby pokemon trainers, five to be precise, and they all sit in the darkness together,
waiting for help. Sitting on one ledge, looking dejected , are Jessie and James from
Team Rocket. Meowth is sitting on James' lap, his eyes half closed, lulled by the
blanket of darkness that is now wrapping him up. James lies half asleep on Jessie
shoulder, who is clutching his hands tightly in her own. He stifles a sob, not wanting
anyone to see his tears. Seated opposite the three are the four familiar faces of Ash,
Misty, Brock and Pikachu, looking similarly morbid. Ash holds his hat nervously in
his hands, staring at the inner seam, thinking of how long he has owned this cap.
Misty is sitting next to him, with pikachu curled up, asleep, in-between them. She has
tucked her knees up under her chin, and is now resting her head on them, rocking
back and forth slowly in the darkness. Brock is sitting right at the end of their
makeshift bench, isolating himself purposefully. Like James' he wants nobody to see
the tears of sadness welling up in his eyes. He looked around the sorry group, and
wondered what each of them was thinking. And that is what we shall look at. For you
see, even if this first paragraph is in present tense, all of these characters thoughts are
in the past. And so we continue
Ash is still staring at the hat, thinking about how he got it. He vaguely remembers it
being linked to his father, but that isn't all he remembers about this distant figure in
his memory. He remembers, when he vas a lot younger, waking up late one night
after having a nightmare. He listens to find out if his parents are still awake. The
young Ash can hear vague murmurs and presumes they are awake and walks over to
the door. The younger Ash is about to push the door open, when a noise unfamiliar to
his young ears floats through. It is his mum crying, quite violently. He peaks through
the crack in the door, the only thing he can see is his own mothers tear streaked face.
She looks up at who he presumes is his father, although in his memory, he is only a
shadow.
"How can you do this to me?" she pleas desperately, fresh tears welling up in her
eyes. The voice responds, in a low, distorted voice.
"You know I have always been one to follow my dreams, and this new organisation
say they are looking for strong pokemon trainers to help them.
"But you can't leave me alone." She continues to cry back "Ash is so young, I can't
raise him by myself, and he needs a father figure to look up to."
"But Ash will be fine without me." He numbly replies, in an argument that he doesn't
really want to win in all honesty of his heart.
"And what about me? I love you Kurt, and I don't know how I can live without you.
How can I live without your smile, your eyes, and your heart." Ash can hear his
father sigh, and he sees a pair of thin lips kiss his mum on the forehead.
"I will always be in your heart." He hears footsteps coming towards the door, and in
his fear, runs back to his room and hides round the corner of the door. He listens to
his dads footsteps as they trail away down the stairs, and he hears the door shut. He
sits at the door for a long time, waiting for it to open again, waiting for his dad to
change his mind and come back, not to leave him and his but he never does.
Eventually young Ash crawls back into his bed, but never goes to sleep, as the sound
of his mother crying heart wrenchingly in the other room keeps him awake all night.
The last visual memory of his father seemed to die three months later, when an
official looking letter arrived on the doorstep. He remembers his mum smiling as she
picked it up, smiling as she opened it, and her face falling apart as she started to read
it. She ran out the room dropping the letter as she went. Ash picked it up. The letter
claimed his father was MIA (Missing In Action). He took one last look at the letter.
The header in the corner had the now all too familiar logo of Team Rocket.
The red R flashed in front of his eyes and it took Ash a little while to realise he was actually
staring straight ahead of him and was looking at James's white top, which looked a
dingy grey in the darkness. He glanced to his left at Misty, who was now asleep, but
was obviously not having a good dream. Misty's dream was again of the past, of
reasons why she had left her home in Cerulean, or more precisely, why she had run
away.
In her dream, Misty was nine years old, and was starring as the lead in her school
play. In nine year old Misty's eyes, this was one of the best things that had ever
happened to her. She had always wanted to get a good part in the school play, just as
her sisters had always done, and had always rubbed it in her face that she hadn't. She
was wearing the most gorgeous dress, made of velvet and ribbons, a wonderful
scarlet colour that brought out the natural highlights in her hair. She was on stage at
the moment, waiting for the curtains to open and for her true talent of acting to finally
shine through, so she could show her sisters that she was just as good as them, to
show them that she wasn't their ugly, untalented little sister but their pretty and
gifted younger sister who was in many ways just as equal to them. It wasn't jealousy
that was fuelling her to do this, but the desire to feel loved, the fact that she looked up
to them so and just wished to get a tiny bit of praise and not so much respect as belief
from them. She had no time for thoughts now, the curtain was starting to open. She
quickly adjusted her collar, and started her skipping around the stage, miming
picking flowers. She picked up a rose and stared at it longingly, as her character did
in the play. She started her monologue, her voice ringing clearly and concisely
through the hall. She could hear some whispers of praise among the crowd and a
smile grew across her face as she realised just how well she was doing. She looked for
her sisters in the crowd and soon had them spotted. She smiled even larger as she saw
her sisters talking. Perhaps it was them she could here giving words of praise about
her performance. Misty shuddered in her sleep as she realised what was coming. As
dream Misty looked at her sister, still skipping, she suddenly felt herself slipping. She
looked back, and quickly realised she had trodden on that beautiful dress of hers. The
she turned back to stop her fall, only to see the large metal frame which was holding
up most of the scenery looming in front of her. She tried to stop herself from falling,
but it was too late, and she went head first into the cold metal. Before she blacked out
however, there was something she heard which hurt much more than the blow she
had just taken to the head. As clearly as her voice had been during her monologue,
Misty heard her sisters voices ringing across the hall.
"I knew she would mess up."
"Little Misty can never get anything right, can she?"
"It is just so typical of her to get everything wrong like this, I can't believe she is our
sister?"
Misty shivered again in her sleep, and sniffed slightly, causing Brock to look up from
his stupor at the end of their seat. He turned back briefly, and then went back to his
own thoughts, which leads us to another short story.
Brock is sitting in a hospital, next to a bed. His mother lies there, hooked up to
numerous wires and tubes, pumping so many different chemicals through her veins,
Brock wondered what it felt like. A heart monitor bleeped continuously and steadily.
Brock leant forward toward his mother, looking for a sign of consciousness. Her eyes
fluttered open, like a butterfly opening its wings for the first time. She smiled at him,
which seemed to take all the energy out of her alone, but she seemed to think it was
worth it. Brock smiled back. She was so beautiful, and she cared about him so much.
He didn't know where his dad was, he didn't even know if his dad had got the
telegram he had sent to him, informing him of his wife's illness. She smiled at him
again.
"Brock?" her voice quivered nervously in the air.
"Yes mum?" he said, full of concern, practically jumping off his seat, ready to get her
whatever she wanted.
"What is your dream Brock?" He was taken aback by this question. He had expected a
request, not an unusual question that seemed of no relevance what so ever.
"You know the answer to that question mum?" he smiled. "You know I love
pokemon ,and that all I ever wanted to do, since I was younger than any of my
brothers or sisters, was to be a pokemon breeder." They both smiled, reliving past
conversations. She looked him straight in the eye, her face full of seriousness now.
"Brock I want you to promise me something, right here, right now."
"Yeah mum"
"I want you to become the worlds most famous pokemon breeder. Will you promise
me that?" A smile grew across Brock's previously anxious face.
"For you mum, anything." He leant forward and gave her a big hug. She flopped back
down on the bed, in exhaustion from that last hug, and closed her eyes again. Brock
leant forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead, enjoying the quiet moment. He
stared at her for a moment, she looked almost ethereal. Suddenly, a sharp noise
interrupted his thoughts. The heart monitor was now flat lining. He jumped up,
screaming for help, trying everything he could, but it was too late. The doctors tried
but they could not save her. He had made her that promise and had vowed to keep it.
Brock shook himself back into reality. Now he could never fulfil his promise. More
tears trickled through the corners of his eyes, dripping onto the ground below.
The damp surrounding the Rocket trio seemed to mingle with James' tears, which
were now soaking into his partners white uniform. Jessie didn't care about this
though. She wanted to wake him up, for like Misty, he was having a dream which
was causing him great discomfort, but with all seriousness, she didn't have the
energy. She tried to imagine what he was dreaming, but only James and the scars that
cover his chest and back could tell us the answer to that question.
Dream James was once again at home, sent up to his room in disgrace for not
allowing his parents to dictate his life for him. They told him everything that he was
to do in his life, from who he was going to marry, to who he would include in his will.
This young dream James couldn't take all this pressure. All he wanted was to live his
life, all he wanted was to have the freedom to choose things for himself, and all he
wanted was for someone to love him. However, none of this seemed possible in his
current life. He started packing his things to run away (the fourth time in two
months). He got quite far this time, he actually got down to the back stairs, only to be
confronted by the small demon that blocked his way, Jessibelle.
"James darling where are you going?" she asked sweetly.
"Leave me alone Jessibelle, I am running away, and you can't stop me." He started to
push past her, ignoring the feeling that said, as usual, he wouldn't make it. It seemed
that Jessibelle didn't like his plan, for the next thing he knew, she had released the
small Oddish that was clutched to her chest.
"Oddish, sleep powder." James coughed and spluttered, feeling the painful powder
burning his lungs, seeping into his mind, lulling his vision into darkness. Normally
when this happened, he would wake up locked in his room, having been carried there
by some servants who had been ordered to do so by Jessibelle but not this time. He
blinked violently, and suddenly felt a sharp pain around his wrists and ankles. He
made his body taut and slowly opened his eyes. He had been tied to a wall in their
cellar. He looked around, realising that he was at least five feet off the ground, and
was now shirtless. He struggled slightly, only to feel the burn of friction from the
ropes tied around his wrists. Jessibelle stood in front of him, brandishing the whip she
had found in the attic.
"Why do you keep trying to run away James?" she asked, twirling the whip playfully
in her hands.
"Growly, help me!!!" James called frantically. He heard a slight whimper in reply.
"Grroow………lyy….." James searched desperately for the source of the voice, and
soon found it lying poisoned in the corner of the room. He was in bad shape, and
needed help fast, as Oddish poison wasn't slow to clear out the system.
"I didn't want you to be taken away from me by that flea bitten mongrel this time
James, so I had my darling Oddish take care of it for me."
Jessibelle" he pleaded "he needs help, he could die without medical treatment."
"what a shame." She laughed, "now shut up or I'll make you shut up ." James
couldn't of imagined what happened next., so he screamed for help, even though he
knew the cellar was completely sound proof, and no one would be able to hear him.
Without warning his cry was cut short by a sharp snap of Jessibelle's whip across his
face. He glanced down slightly, able to see blood trickling from his lip, down his bare
chest. She looked him dead in the eye, just to let him know that she meant everything
that she was about to do. Another sharp snap across his chest let him know precisely.
Every blow from her whip, got more painful, and more accurate. More blood was
shed, and his once pale young chest, was soon as red as the centre flame of a Moltres's
flame. It was days before anyone found him ,and although the blood had dried every
night, Jessibelle would come down every day until he was found, to open up old
wounds, and usually to create new ones too.
James shuddered, as he flickered his eyes open, wishing for the painful memories, and scars
that had never healed to float out of his mind. He looked over at Jessie, although many
found her similar looking to Jessibelle, he knew that at least her heart was not made of
stone, and that her soul was peaceful, and could never have the guilt that must rest on
Jessibelle's mind every day. James was wrong though, because although to him, Jessie was
untroubled, she knew that she had a terrible secret, and the memory lingered with her
everyday. It was only because now she was completely alone with her thoughts, that she
finally allowed herself to remember what had happened that day.
She and James had met in pokemon tech, flunked, joined a bike gang, and were then
recruited by Team Rocket. She remembered the interview day, she and James had ran
into TR H.q., and were pleading to be let in, as they had no place to go, and this was,
in many aspects, their last chance. Giovanni interviewed them both separately. James
went in first, and came out looking pale and quite shaken. He wished Jessie luck and
she entered Giovanni's office. She sat down in front of him, pulling her short skirt a
tiny bit further down her long legs. Giovanni looked her up and down, and laughed.
"Do you really think Team Rocket needs a little shrimp like you." Jessie felt
threatened by his presence, but none the less, tried her best to stand up to his
taunting's.
"Excuse me? How dare you talk to me like that! I am probably stronger than you and
all your men combined." She laughed for effect. Giovanni's face changed rapidly. His
mocking smile soon turned into an evil grin. He stood up, so she could see his full
height. Now she really did feel threatened. She jumped out her chair, and ran towards
the door, only to find Giovanni blocking her path. He pushed her into a corner and hit
her round the face. She stood completely still, dazed for a moment. He pushed his
frame towards her. She could smell his breath. He placed two hands on her breasts
and ripped her top off, causing her to scream, but another blow to the face soon shut
her up. He pushed her to the floor and started to pull up her skirt and pushed his
hands into her underwear. She tried her best to push him off her, but it was useless,
she was too weak, having not eaten for two days, and couldn't push him off, before
she knew what had happened, he had pushed himself inside her, and was pushing
and pushing. She wanted to scream, but a large hand silenced her, she just lay there,
waiting for it to end, praying for this pain to stop. Eventually it did. He stood over
her, looking proud.
"I guess we can see who is the stronger of the two." He clicked his fingers, and two
men, in black Team Rocket uniforms entered the room ,they seemed to know what to
do, and took her into an operating room. She couldn't fight back, all the energy had
been taken out of her. She awoke to find she had several stitches in her arm, and
could feel there was something underneath her skin, something implanted. She
looked around her, she was in a Team Rocket cabin, a note lay next to her bed. It
read:-
'Jessie, thanks for the good time. You have successfully entered Team Rocket. Go to
cabin 12-b, to collect your new uniform and go to cabin 173-c, to meet up with your
team partner James. As for the little operation you have just been through, don't
worry, it just makes sure that I will always be with you.
Giovanni'
Jessie remembered going to meet James, planning to tell him what had happened, but
she couldn't. He himself was so young and innocent, would his fragile mind be able
to handle the idea of someone he knew being raped? She didn't know, so James never
found out. And neither did anyone else. Jessie felt a cold sadness creeping up on her.
She felt tears well up in her eyes, and was about to let them out, when she felt a tap
on her shoulder.
"Hey Jessie, the kids are all getting ready to go to sleep, we should probably do the
same." James whispered. She walked over, and saw they had all made a pile of their
poke balls, and had marked their names and who they belonged to on the red shiny
surfaces. The two Team Rocket members did the same. Pikachu had been put in his
poke ball by Ash, who had wanted him to live on after his master and Meowth, much
to his complaints, had been trapped in a spare poke ball by James, and was put in the
pile with the others All of them knew that they probably wouldn't make it through
the night, and were preparing now for their pokemon to stay safe with whoever
found them. They all said their last goodbyes to their pokemon and each other. They
then layed down together for what could be the last time. Misty wrapped herself
round Ash, a mutual feeling of love between them, not the romantic kind, but the
kind that showed you really truly cared. James also lay down. He called to Jessie.
"Are you coming to bed soon Jess." He smiled weakly. Jessie nodded, and sat down
in a corner nearby and pulled out a knife. She dug it into her arm, making a clear cut.
She gritted her teeth and dug her nails in. Twenty seconds later she succeeded in
pulling out a small electronic device of some kind. She laughed, thinking about how
pathetic Giovanni truly was, and stamped on it, crushing all the circuits inside it. She
came back over and lay next to James, who immediately put an arm round her and
held her closely. Like Ash and Misty, they shared a bond, but on a much higher level.
James noticed the cut, but didn't bother asking, somehow, he felt like he already knew
what it meant.
Finally we get to Brock. He sat and waited for the others to drift off. He had grown
attached to them all (even Team Rocket). He walked round, giving them a motherly
kiss each on the forehead, as he used to do each night with all his brothers and sisters.
He thought of his mum one last time, and lay down in-between the two couples, and
drifted off into the longest sleep he would ever take.
Epilogue
You may be thinking how sad it is that none of the characters got to live out their
dreams and goals, but a spirit must be looking down on all of them ,for within that
year all of the following happened.
Ashes dream to become a pokemon master almost came true, after his pikachu was
found. It was announced to be one of the best trained and most powerful pokemon
known to their world, and Ash was famed for raising this wonderful creature.
Misty's body was buried at her home town in Cerulean, where her sisters talked at
her funeral. They told everyone how much they truly admired their sister, and that
they wished they could of told her in her lifetime.
Brock's father had discovered Brock's old pokemon food lab at the back of their
house, and world wide, some of the most skilled trainers would come to use his
recipes to raise their pokemon.
James had proven to his parents that although he died tragically, and didn't have one
of the most successful lives in the world, he had died in the arms of someone who
truly cared about him, as he had always wished for.
And as for Jessie, her journal was found, and Giovanni was arrested and placed in an
isolated prison area, forever cursing what he had done to Jessie, as it was her words,
and her truth, that had metaphorically ended his life,.
So you see, in a tragic way, their lives ending brought all their dreams into reality,
and up in heaven, you can bet that they are all smiling now, watching over all those
who have a dream.