James awakened that next morning in a warm, comfortable bed. The rays of dawn were seeping in through the curtains, and James knew it had to be very early in the morning. He stretched, and noticed he was wearing a long white shirt with blue boxers. He snickered to himself, not remembering what happened after he left Muna's house. All he knew was that today was the day he would leave Johto - possibly forever.
Sitting up in bed, he realised he was back home. After the destruction of Johto, many people had fled Mahogany Town. Some of the Gym Leaders shared a home, but James had his own, near the Pokemon Center that was still operating - he knew how to work the machine if someone else didn't. His home was small but it was enough. James didn't have many possessions, but the place still felt like home, somewhere he could return to and escape the wasteland that surrounded him.
Now that he was up, he didn't feel the need to go back to sleep. Slipping into a pair of socks, he trudged downstairs to the living room, where his Pokemon slept, outside of their balls. The curtains were still drawn, casting a grey air over the room, but he slowly opened them, prompting groans from Bolt, who was resting quite comfortably on the chair. Aqua and Blaze were curled up next to each other, with Earthquake behind the girls. Vines was spread out on the sofa, with Astrus somewhere behind Earthquake.
For a moment, he sat and took in the Pokemon. They were family. They never let him down, and all six always promised to do their best. They were all a part of James's heart, he would die for any of them. James couldn't understand why he felt this day was something special, something that would mark its place in the road that was his life. James had obtained, officially, every single badge in the Johto region; he'd lost battles and learned to accept them; witnessed evolution; climbed mountains with Earthquake, rode ocean waves with Aqua…his team were fantastic. They were family. Family meant that nobody was hurt, and that nobody got left behind.
He drew the curtains fully. The sunlight shone in from the bay window, and James was greeted with the sight of his mountainous view: Mt. Mortar to the right, and the skyscrapers of Goldenrod City in the far distance. It was breathtaking, beautiful…dead.
"Good morning, sunshine," Bolt sighed, rubbing his eyes with his tiny paws. Once he saw James standing in front of him, his mood lightened. Bolt loved seeing his trainer more than anyone else in the world. "Oh, Jamesy, it's you!"
The remaining members of the team gradually woke up, and James decided to treat them with a surprise breakfast. He retreated to the kitchen, with a wide-awake and cheerful Bolt at his heels. He opened the blinds in the kitchen, along with the window, and breathed in the tangy, but sweet, scent of the Mago berries growing outside. James had baskets and baskets full of berries; he loved growing them, and when they were ripe, he would pick them and cook them for his team.
Without anymore words between them, Bolt hopped onto a chair, then onto the kitchen sink and out of the window, reaching out to take the Mago berries. James set up the stove and the other essentials, being silent with each other - James lost in his own little world until Bolt nudged him with his tail. The Pokemon had an armload of sweet berries, and James smiled.
"Thanks, Bolt. Shove them in the pan," James smiled, going towards the fridge. "You want a drink, little man?"
"No thanks, Jamesy," Bolt smiled, seemingly happier than usual, but also calmer. "What are we going to do today? That Muna woman really had me thinking all night!"
James stopped in his tracks. What were they going to do today? He had awakened with a feeling inside that he no longer belonged in Johto, just because he'd spoken to Muna. What she had said about Kanto…was it really true? Something about the land itself depending on him. He wondered what that even meant. Did it mean something seriously, horribly wrong was going on over there? Whatever it was, it was eating away at James's sanity and he knew it wouldn't be vanquished until he discovered for himself. That was what they were going to do today. Leave Johto and start a new life. Admitting all of it to Bolt - who was still so innocent - seemed like a criminal offence.
But that was just it. James couldn't hide anything from his Pokemon. He would have to tell the others, eventually, what Muna had told him. He doubted they would believe him. They could read him in between the lines, and he could do the same to them. It didn't help he had a Pokemon like Astrus around, who would more than certainly read his mind if something seemed off. They were family, his only family, but James wished he could hide things from them, keep them safe. Keep them from things they shouldn't have known.
"Probably travelling," James shrugged. "I haven't decided yet."
"Well, I hope so," Bolt smiled widely. Quiet chatter could be heard from the living room, and James left Bolt to the berries while he checked who was awake. Blaze and Aqua were up, chipper and chatty - while the boys lazed around typically. Earthquake was still asleep, snoring loudly while Vines and Astrus sat and laughed at him. Aqua saw her trainer, and pounced, grinning widely and James caught the blue bundle in his arms.
"Jamie!" she giggled, in her childlike squeal. "Jamie, Jamie, can you smell those berries? Is someone cooking them? They smell so good! Like strawberry cake!"
James didn't need to say anything. He just let Aqua nuzzle herself into him, waiting for the rest of the boys to get up and come through to the kitchen - but they woke up right away when Bolt's high-pitched voice called through the rooms.
"Are they any good?"
"Yup, Bolt! They're brilliant! Can I have seconds?"
"Make sure to save some for the rest of us, man."
"Done and done! Here ya go!"
"…Blaze? Blaze? Blaaaaaze? BlazeBlazeBlazeBlaze-"
"Bolt, what is it? I can hear you fine enough."
On one side of the table sat Bolt, Blaze, and Aqua. Earthquake was staring into space, having devoured his breakfast, Astrus was obediently nibbling and Vines had just finished his plate of melted Mago. The terribly sweet aftertaste would be lingering for a while. The six were talking happily when the phone suddenly burst into life, and they all went silent, looking at James. The phone almost never rung - there was pretty much nobody that needed to be calling it. The blonde trainer told them to wait, while he walked into the hallway and picked it up, all of the Pokemon eavesdropping not-so discreetly.
"Hello?"
"James."
"…y-yeah, this is James."
Bolt had jumped down from his seat, onto the banister and onto James's shoulder, trying to listen in to the conversation. James was holding the receiver so tight his knuckles were beginning to be drained of their colour.
The voice down the phone was eerily familiar, but James just couldn't pinpoint it in his mind. He had heard it before, he knew it, he knew he had…
"Well, well, James, you've certainly grown up. I almost didn't recognise your voice. Why, the last time I saw you, you were merely a little boy. That was a very interesting day for all of us. Tragic, tragic…but interesting."
"Who is this? Is this some stupid prank call?"
"You have brains. Use them."
James's eyes widened, his body turned totally still. You have brains. Use them. He knew those five words, they were engraved onto his heart in painful, jagged lacerations. And he knew who had spoken those words, right before he had shot his parents to death, leaving James alone in the destroyed world. Bolt was shaking James now, but the blonde didn't respond, didn't say anything. His lips were trying to formulate words, his eyes were burning, his heart was twisting in hate and anger and god he'd just never felt so fucking angry-
"You…you…"
"Speak up, boy."
"N-Nascour…"
The word rolled off James's tongue and he could taste the bitter hate it contained. A menacing laugh trilled down the phone and James closed his eyes tight, with Bolt rubbing his shoulders, asking who was on the phone. The rest of the team slowly emerged, all peeking from the doorway.
"James? Jamesy, who is it?" Bolt frantically asked, over and over, but he couldn't get a response - and part of him didn't want to know about the cackling he could hear down the phone.
"I think I would just love battling you, James. Or at least meeting you again. Pity our last meeting was…to say the least, eventful."
"Shut the fuck up," James growled, hoping he sounded braver and tougher than he really felt. In that moment, James Bailey felt like the insignificant speck of dust he was, as if the world and the universe had turned inside of him, breathed into him…only instead of injecting him with life, he was being electrocuted with death. "What the hell do you want? How did you…h-how did…"
He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't know why. The words just stopped in his throat, waiting in line, but he couldn't force them out of his mouth. He almost wished he hadn't told Nascour to shut the fuck up; James wanted to know the answers to his pleading question. But hell, Nascour deserved it.
Memories of his mother and father began rushing back into his mind, his blood, his heart. They swelled his heart with pride, they had protected him right until the end, they had always told him he could do anything he wanted…and now they were dead. He wouldn't be able to thank them for anything. James felt himself missing them more than he had in a long time. He hadn't really thought about his parents ever since he was younger, the day he told himself he had to do something with his life other than mourn.
"How did I know your phone number and where you live?" Nascour chuckled. "You seem to be forgetting who I am, young man."
"Who you are has nothing to do with how you know where I live. You either tell me what the fuck you want, you motherfucking murderer, or I hang up this phone right now and tell everybody I know what you've done."
The Pokemon watching were surprised how clear James's voice was now. Didn't stop, didn't falter. Bolt listened down the phone - the strange man's voice had suddenly changed to a more angry, dangerous one, the kind of voice you heard in your nightmares, a gravel scratching from the throat.
It wasn't Nascour anymore.
"You listen to me, James, you little shit! If you hang up this phone I'll gut you like a fucking fish, just like I almost did to your whore of a mother, you understand?"
James's still body almost fainted. He gripped the phone as tight as possible, his knuckles draining of blood, he could hear his heart beating the roar of his blood how much he hated whoever this person was he knew it wasn't Nascour but he knew that they had killed his parents and and-
He didn't say anything.
"My mother was not a whore," James whispered, and he could feel Bolt's paws around his neck now, he was sure his Raichu was crying. He felt guilty; he hadn't meant to scare them. This was what he meant. He wanted to shield them from this kind of reality. People went out and killed other people. That was the harsh truth.
"Hang up the phone," Bolt begged quietly. "Stop it, Jamesy, please…"
"Now, now, James. You must agree to disagree. Haven't you learnt anything since that day? Apparently not…"
James was sure that he would become famous by inventing a device that allowed you to punch people through the phone.
"Who is this? What the fuck do you WANT?"
"Get out of your house. By tonight. Or my men will find you, and they will kill you. These men have no mercy for anyone. Especially teenage boys that can't watch their language. And I am kind enough to tell you of your fate, James. I am kind enough to give you the chance to escape. But which is worse? Dying by the hands of a killer, or living with the terror and fear for the rest of your life? Your choice, James. I will remind you again. Get out of your house by tonight. Or I pray that these men have mercy on your soul."
James slammed down the phone and buried his head into his hands, trying to prevent himself bursting into tears. Bolt jumped down from his shoulders, and beckoned to the team to go back to the kitchen. James gathered himself together, and went back into the kitchen where he felt an eerie tension rising.
"Why are you all being so quiet?" he asked, sniffing a little. He forced himself to smile at the team who were all looking at him with concerned faces. "It's fine. We're fine. Finish your breakfast."
"James," Earthquake sighed. "Come on, man. We aren't deaf. Who was that? They upset you big time. I can, like, feel your vibes. You just ask Astrus or Vines. They're into all that hippy stuff."
James found himself snorting in laughter. "Earthquake, buddy. Really. Don't get all worried. I'll sort it out myself."
"For your information," Astrus began, and everybody's small chuckles were immediately silenced. Whatever Astrus said was usually always important. "That 'hippy stuff' - as Earthquake so kindly puts it - is in fact your aura, James. Vines and I, being Grass and Psychic types of Pokemon, respectively, can sense it. Right now…right now I sense that the telephone call you just received was not natural. It was not one of bringing joy, which they usually do. I see…the man that telephoned you, his name…Nascour."
"Who's that?"
"James, who is he?"
"I don't remember him."
"Is he an old battling buddy?"
Only Vines didn't join in.
James slammed his hand onto the counter. "He's the man who killed my mom and dad!"
Silence.
All six of the Pokemon slowly emerged towards James, who was in tears by now and sobbing loudly. Vines started it, not sure if they should have left him alone, but then he remembered what Astrus said about sensing auras. Vines especially could tell, even without sensing, that James had felt terrible loneliness his entire life, and this time was no different. He moved towards James and nudged him with his long neck, and James placed an arm around him. Earthquake went next, and James's left arm went around him. Aqua and Bolt jumped onto his shoulders, nuzzling both his cheeks; Blaze and Astrus both hugged him and they took in the moment, all seven of them.
"Family," Aqua purred into James's ear, and kissed him there. "We're family."
Bolt looked up. "Yeah, we are. Don't let some asshole like him make you feel so sad all the time. You know…" The Raichu hung his head a little, not one for explaining his emotions, and also because he loved James more than anyone in the world. "…you know I…I can't stand it when you're sad, Jamesy."
"Family," Astrus repeated. "We'll stick with you through this. We always will."
"Best pals I ever had," Earthquake chirped in. "This Nascour dude sounds like a right boring old fart, anyway."
"What Earthquake said," Vines smiled.
"Love you, Jamesy," Aqua said. "I'm sorry if we upset you. Asking about him."
James felt his eyes burn with happiness. He smiled at Aqua, and tickled her under the chin. "You guys never annoy or upset me. It's okay…how could you have known? If it weren't for you guys…I'd probably be dead by now. And…" He looked around, taking in the scene. "I would much rather be alive…I don't know what I'd do without you all, I honestly don't…"
None of them had to say anything more.
