Trying out a new concept. This chapter is a bit of an introduction. James is one of my favorite characters and I haven't seen any fanfictions about him. I hope this turns out to be good, but of course I'm working on my other project still.
Prologue: James's Mission
James leaned against the railing of the ship. Blue locks of hair hung down, covering his face. He watched the crowd of people shuffling by on the docks of Vermillion City, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jessie and Meowth coming to say their goodbyes, but he knew they wouldn't.
They were jealous of him, he thought. They were jealous because he was handpicked by the boss for this important mission. Being his friends, however, they should have been here to support him. The minute they had heard of his mission, however, Jessie instantly changed character.
"He what?" Jessie had snapped after hearing the news of James's mission. They were in a dorm room at the Team Rocket base. James was packing up his things for his trip.
"He wants me to go to a faraway region," James explained, "and promote Team Rocket influence."
"Well why just you?" Jessie asked. "We're a team!"
"I don't know," James said, shrugging. "He has someone going with me, too."
Jessie turned toward the door and opened it. "Fine, if you want to go without us, then go! You'll just embarrass yourself out there! Come on, Meowth!"
Meowth hadn't said a word. He stood from one of the beds and followed Jessie out of the room, giving James a sympathetic look before Jessie slammed the door shut.
James sighed. He felt a hand press down on his shoulder and he turned to see the man accompanying him on the journey. The man was as tall as him, with short cut hair and an expressionless smile occupying his face.
"Friends who don't support you aren't worth having," he said.
"What would you know, Misao?" James retorted.
"I suppose I wouldn't," Misao said with a shrug.
The horn from the ship sounded, echoing throughout Vermillion City. The ship slowly began to move away from the dock. James continued to look out toward the crowd, hoping to catch a glimpse of his team.
That's when the glimmering red locks caught his attention. He perked his head up and kept watching. The tall woman came out of the crowd. Jessie scanned through the crowd on the moving ship and finally caught sight of James.
"James, you idiot!" she cried as she ran down the wharf, following the ship. Meowth was right behind her. "You better be coming back! Don't screw this up! Good luck!"
"Don't forget to write!" Meowth called. "Bon voyage!"
James was nearly in tears as he waved back to them. "I'll write!" he called. "And I won't let you down! You'll be proud of me!"
James turned to Misao. Misao continued to smile emptily. "I suppose the aches in your heart have been quelled. Now you can focus on your mission."
Nodding, James turned back to watch the ocean with a large smile on his face. Now he could face this with confidence, whatever it was that stood before him.