Ash sighed deeply as he, Iris and Cilan walked through town.
Iris lifted an eye-brow. "What's the matter Ash?" she asked.
Ash sighed. "Sorry, I was just thinking." He mumbled. "I keep expecting team Rocket to jump right out at us, but they just wont come. It's weird going so long without a team rocket attack! We have been on three different islands on our way back to palet town all-ready!" he pointed out.
Iris blinked. "You're right, it's been like a month." She realised.
Cilan shrugged. "Maybe they gave up, and got some other business to attend to." He pointed out.
"Njah I doubt it." Ash told. "Those guys, they just never give up." He sighed.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded a very tired nod.
It was true.. Team Rocket was the type of people whom just never gave up, yet the three of them hadn't seen a single sign of Team Rocket for pretty long.
It irked Ash, it irked him so much that he started to really look out for them, in the street corners, in the bars.. every-where. But they didn't show up.
Then of cause, when you look for some-thing, you often end up finding it in the way you least exspect it. Ash, Iris and Cilan had decided to buy ice-cream at an ice-cream bar, as Ash had gotten his glass of ice-cream he backed away, to almost bump into a table and spill the drink that stood on it.
"WHAT WHERE YOU ARE GOING YOU IDIOT!" A woman yelled at Ash.
Ash turned around as he laughed. "Sorry I.." he halted as he opened his eyes, right in front of him. Long red hair combed back, Safire blue eyes, harsh sharp features, and most of all, a meowth by her side.
"TEAM ROCKET!" Ash exclaimed pointing at the two, though Jessie wasn't in uniform at the moment, instead she was wearing a simple green dress matching her hair, and yellow boots with high heels.
"Oh the twerps." Jessie hissted turning around as she crossed her arms.
"ALL-RIGHT WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Ash asked in a confronting voice, pointing at Jessie. "You are NOT getting Pikachu." he told in a clinched fist.
Jessie turned around to face him, but her face-expression, it surprised Ash, she looked angry and upset, but not the usual way angry. And she never looked upset like this. "I DON'T WANT YOUR STUPID PIKACHU!" she yelled standing up as she hammered her hands down in the table. "YOU STUPID INSOLENT LITTLE TWERP!" she she yelled so loudly that Ash almost had to step back in surprise.
Then ash noticed, tears were running down Jessies eyes.
Ash blinked. "Are.. are you all-right?" he asked, very shocked about this weird turn of events.
"Well of course I am all-right." Jessie hissed wiping her eyes in an angry motion. "Just leave me alone twerp!" she hissed pushing Ash aside as she walked straight past him.
Blinking Ash looked after Jessie, so did Iris ad Cilan.
"What was that all about?" Ash asked confused, then he felt some-thing hitting his leg. "AUW!" Ash jumped up and down, and looked down to discover that Meowth were there and had just kicked him. "What did you do that for!?" Ash hissed annoyed jumping up and down.
"YOU UPSET JESSIE!" Meowth shouted pointing at Ash. "I should slash you right here and now!" he hissed.
Annoyed Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and stood in front of Meowth, sparking warningly if Meowth came any closer.
"You just try!" Meowth hissed clinching a paw at Pikachu.
"STOP IT!" Cilan jumped between them. "Meowth, I can sense you are reacting on emotions. You are upset. Stop it."
Ash blinked. "Upset?" he asked. "Meowth, what reason do you possible have to be upset?" he asked.
Meowth looked down, not answering.
"MEOWTH ANSWER HIM!" Iris demanded.
Annoyed Meowth looked at him. "Man you are some inconsiderate twerps." he hissed.
Ash swallowed as he sat down on his knee, as to come closer to meowth. "Just tell me." he asked silently. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly.
Meowth looked at ash, then tears started to form in his eyes as he sniffed and looked down on the ground. "James.." he at last told.
Ash blinked. "James?" he asked, then looked around. "Where's James?" he asked.
Meowth swallowed. "In the hospital." he told.
Ashs's eyes widened. "What?" he asked.
"And he wont… he wont wake up." Meowth sniffed as he clutched his paws and squinted his eyes as he looked down. "They say if he don't wake up on his own in the first week, there is little chance that he'll wake up at all, the longer he is like that, the less likely it is that he'll ever wake up." he hissed as his voice broke.
Ash blinked. "How.. how long has he been unresponsive?" he asked.
Meowth looked away with squinted eyes. "Five days." he at last told, making the team gasp. "So you see don't you!?" Meowth hissed looking up at them. "We don't want any-thing to do with any of you right now! We just want to be LEFT ALONE!" he shouted.
Slowly Pikachu stepped forward, and laid a comforting paw on Meowths shoulder. "Pika." he whispered silently.
Meowth how-ever hissed as he pushed Pikachus paw away. "Leave me alone!" he hissed and turned around, to fall over so he was on all fours, and could run even faster than usual away.
Wide-eyed Ash looked after where Jessie and Meowth had gone to, he was in minor shock. "James." He whispered.
Iris sighed. "Don't worry about it Ash, it's not your problem." She told.
"How can I not worry?" Ash asked turning to Iris. "I never wanted to see him getting hurt!"
"Ash." Iris tried.
"Look, my relation with those three it's.. well it's complicated." Ash told. "Mostly we are enemies, but they have also saved me a good couple of times. I know they are not entirely bad people."
"How can you say that?" Iris asked. "They work for a criminal organisation!" she pointed out. "They steal peoples pokemon! If they ever found you starving in the gutter, you really think they would help you?" she asked.
Ash swallowed, then he shook his head. "Just proofs I've known them that much longer." He whispered. "They actually would help. They are lowlife thieves, but they are not monsters. They would never let a person die right in front of them." He told looking up at the two with big wet eyes. "It may not look like it, but they care about people... and about Pokemon. Even if they do steal them."
Cilan sighed. "I am actually not surprised." He admitted.
Iris heads turned to Cilan. "Really?" she asked. "How can you know?" she asked.
"Their pokemon." Cilan smiled lightly. "Their pokemon are all very loyal to them, and you cannot take such a loyality, you have to earn it. Just look at Meowth." He pointed out. "That sure is a unique pokemon."
"Yeah, not that many pokemon can talk." Ash shrugged.
"No that's not what I meant." Cilan shook his head as he waved his head. "What I mean is, usually, Pokemons have only one owner. They can have more human friends, but only one owner." He pointed out. "Meowth used to be owned by someone else, but along the way he switched to those two." He told lifting two fingers. "And he is fiercely loyal to both of them. His loyalty to Jessie and James rivals Pikachu loyality to you." He pointed out. "It's that strong, and you cannot force such a bond. Meowth is even a cat type pokemon, so for him to become that loyal, to someone else than his original owner, it takes some-thing extra special. Thus Jessie and James must really care for him, and their other pokemons for them to be that strong and loyal." He pointed out. "That also speaks for their character." he cleared his throat.
Ash nodded. "Yeah, I could pretty much figure." He admitted before he turned around and started to run. "Hey where are you going!?" Cilan asked.
"I'M GOING TO FIND JESSIE AND MEOWTH!" Ash yelled as Pikachu came running after him. "I SERIOUSLY NEED TO APOLOGIES!" he told.
