The next morning, James packed his clothes back into his pack, ready to
leave the Pokecenter and look for another place to stay. He was enjoying
his time in Saffron City and wanted to stay longer, since the Indigo
Plateau Finals wouldn't be starting for another month. Besides, he wanted
to see Sabrina again, he thought to himself with a smile.
**
Walking down a busy Saffron City street, James spotted a large motel about 50 feet away. That looks decent, he thought. Humming a jaunty tune, James ambled his way to the hotel, now and then checking out the shops that lined the street. While he was in the comic book shop checking out the latest issue of Spinarak Man, the sound of a familiar laugh caught his attention. Looking around, he was surprised to see Sabrina reading the latest issue of Zubatgirl. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, I didn't take you for a comic book fan," he said to Sabrina. Sabrina looked up, surprised as well. "James!" she said. Her face melted into a smile. "What a coincidence to see you here," she said. Then she addressed his comment. "Oh, yeah, I love comics!" she said. "I really got into them a few years ago," she said. "It was sort of to make up for the childhood I missed as a gym leader," she explained. James nodded. He glanced at the Zubatgirl in her hand. "So is that one your favorite?" he asked. Sabrina shook her head. "No, my favorite is Elf Journey, " she said. "Oh, I've read that one," James said. "It's pretty good." Sabrina nodded. A dreamy look appeared in her eyes. "I think it's so romantic how they have soul names," she said. James grinned. "I don't know. I mean Recognition is so random. I think I'd rather fall in love the old fashioned way." Sabrina gazed at him. "True." She cocked her head and smiled. "So, what is your favorite comic book?" she asked him. James shrugged. "I like all of them." He thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I really like the Bunny the Vampire Slayer comics," he said. "That's cool," Sabrina said. "So, what brings you here?" she asked. James put down Spinarak Man and walked over to Sabrina. "I was on my way to the hotel," he said. "My stay at the Pokecenter was over." Sabrina put down Zubatgirl. "Oh, that's right. You have all eight badges now, so you can compete in the Indigo Plateau League Finals." She glanced at James. "They don't start for another month though. What are you going to do until then?" she asked. James shrugged. "I kind of like it here. I was thinking of finding a place. I'm going to stay at the hotel until I do," he said.
By now they had started walking side by side out of the comic book shop. Sabrina looked thoughtful. "I have a guest house you could stay at," she finally said mischievously, glancing at James to see his reaction. She wasn't disappointed. James sweatdropped and blushed. "I don't know. Wouldn't that be weird?" he asked. Sabrina giggled and shook her head. "Why would it be? The guesthouse is totally separate. You wouldn't even see me unless you wanted to," she said. James looked interested, so Sabrina went on. "The guest house is about 50 feet from my own house. It has a single bedroom, a kitchen, a full bathroom, a living room, and a dining room." She turned around and walked backwards, facing James and holding his hands lightly. "You would have your own address and phone number, too," she said. "Plus, I'll only charge you half the rent," she added. James looked even more interested. "Only half?" he asked. Sabrina nodded. "That is, if you promise not to be a stranger," she teased. James looked thoughtful. It would sure be better than staying at a hotel and looking for a place he could afford. Plus, there was the bonus of being close to Sabrina. He decided to at least look at it. "Can I see it first?" he asked. "Of course," Sabrina said.
**
They stepped through the door into Sabrina's guesthouse. "And here I thought Brock had awesome furniture," James said, looking around at the fully furnished living room. "Oh, I forgot to mention, it's already furnished," Sabrina said with a smile. "Yeah, I noticed," James teased. He walked further into the place. "How about a tour?" he asked. Sabrina nodded. "Sure," she said. She led him around the small guesthouse, showing him the bathroom, the kitchen, the dining area, and finally the bedroom. James plopped down on the king-size bed and tested it out. "Not bad," he said, finally. He sat up. "I think I'll take you up on your offer," he said. Sabrina smiled. "Great! You can move in right away, if you want," she said. James nodded. "Yeah, I plan on it. How much is half the rent anyway?" he asked. Sabrina told him and he nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said, handing over the said amount of money to pay for his first month. Sabrina pocketed it and grinned. "So, do you need help unpacking?" she asked. "Nope, all I have with me is this backpack of clothes," he said, pointing to the backpack still strapped over his shoulder. Sabrina's brow furrowed. "Really? That's all?" she asked. James nodded. "Yeah, I never actually stayed in one place long enough to acquire much more than clothes," he explained. "I did a lot of traveling as a Team Rocket member and as a trainer." Sabrina nodded. "Makes sense," she said. She gently poked at the clothes he was wearing. "You could use some new threads," she decided. "Come on, it's time for a shopping spree!" she said gleefully. James sweatdropped. "Do we have to?" he asked. Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "If you're worried about paying, don't worry about it. I've got it covered," she said with a smile, tugging him toward the door. "But-but you really don't have to!" he protested. Sabrina grinned. "But I want to! Besides, it's for my benefit too. Nice clothes make you look cuter," she said, giving him a sly wink. "Now come on, let's go!" she said. James gave up. "Ok. You're as bad as Jessie, you know that?" he said, shaking his head. Sabrina grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment," she replied.
****
Sabrina let James shop for his own clothes in the clothes section while she looked at CDs in the music section. The Celadon City Department Store certainly had everything, she thought. She reached for the latest CD by Magenta, "Miss Understood," and grabbed it as the same time as someone else. "Oh, I'm sorry," Sabrina said, looking up to the person who'd also grabbed it. To her surprise, it was Misty. "Misty! What brings you here?" she asked. Misty looked just as surprised to see Sabrina. "Shopping. You?" she asked. Then she blushed. "I guess that's a dumb question, you're obviously shopping too," she said. Sabrina smiled at the younger girl. "Don't worry about it, Misty," she said. She changed the subject. "I hear you're dating Ash now," she said. "It must be exciting to be the girlfriend of the youngest Pokemon Champion," she said. Misty blushed and nodded. "Yeah. He's really busy right now training, what with the Indigo Plateau League finals coming up. He has to defend his position," Misty said, somewhat proudly. Sabrina nodded. "He'll need it. The buzz in the gym leader circle is that Lance is going to try to get his title back," Sabrina said. Misty's eyes widened into Os. "Really? I should pass that along to Ash," she said. Sabrina cocked her head at Misty. "Have you thought about taking over Cerulean City Gym?" she asked. "Your sisters are making us look bad," she admitted. "We could use someone like you as a gym leader," she said. Misty looked a little startled. "No, I hadn't thought about it, actually." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "It's not a bad idea. I get kind of bored just doing nothing since Ash is usually busy." Sabrina grinned at Misty. "Well there you go, something to do with your time," she said. Just then James walked up with a bag full of clothes and tapped Sabrina on the shoulder. "I have a bagful of clothes. Are you satisfied?" he teased. Then he spotted Misty. "Ah! A twerp!" he said, startled. Misty noticed him and had a similar reaction. "Ah! Team Rocket!" she said. Sabrina laughed. "James isn't in Team Rocket anymore," she reminded Misty. "Oh. Right," Misty said. She blushed. "Sorry about that," she apologized to James. James blushed and nodded. "Sorry about calling you a twerp," he replied. Misty was about to answer when a curious look crossed her face. She looked back and forth between James and Sabrina. "Are you two dating or something?" she asked. Sabrina and James looked at each other. "Not officially. Yet." Sabrina answered. She smiled at James. "You wanna go steady with me?" she asked. James laughed. "Sure, why not?" he replied Sabrina turned back to Misty. "Yes, we're dating now," she said. Misty laughed and shook her head. "I never thought.I mean.I thought James would end up with Jessie," she said, glancing apologetically at Sabrina. James grinned and shook his head. "No. Jessie is just my best friend. Besides, she is dating Brock," he said, waiting for Misty's reaction. "Oh," she said. Then what he had said sunk in. "Jessie and Brock?!? When did this happen?" she said, looking slightly alarmed. "I'm so out of the loop," she moaned. James grinned. "Don't worry, it's a pretty new development," he said. Misty sighed. "So I guess we're all paired up now," she said. Sabrina nodded. "If Ash can get a free moment, why don't we all go out on a triple date?" Sabrina suggested. Misty made a face. "Ash, have a free moment?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "I'll see what I can do," she said. Then she snickered. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out Brock is dating Jessie," she said. "You're an evil woman Misty," Sabrina teased. Misty grinned. "It's payback for my bike," she explained. "Ah. Right. So call me when you find out when Ash is free," Sabrina said, handing her card to Misty. Misty pocketed it and nodded. "I will. It was good to see you, Sabrina. And James," she added. "It was nice to see you too Misty," Sabrina said. They hugged and parted ways. James and Sabrina watched the redhead leave the store. "She looked really happy," Sabrina remarked, taking James's hand. James nodded. "I think it's because she finally admitted her feelings to Ash, if their dating is any indication," James said. Sabrina glanced sideways at him. "So you noticed it too? That they are totally meant for each other, I mean," she said. James almost snorted. "Of course I noticed. A blind person could have seen that," he said, not unkindly. Sabrina smiled. "I think it's sweet." James squeezed Sabrina's hand and smiled at her. "I think we're sweet," he said. Sabrina nodded and kissed him. "Me too," she said. She smiled happily at him before returning to business. "Ok, we've got you some clothes. Now, we should go to the grocery store and stock up on food for the guesthouse, since the kitchen is empty," Sabrina said. James's eyes lit up. "Oh, food!" he said. He glanced at Sabrina. "Do I get to pick out my own food, too?" he teased. Sabrina gave him a look. "Of course. I let you pick out your own clothes didn't I?" she teased right back. James grinned. "You did," he said. "Well then, there's your answer," Sabrina said with a wink. "So, shall we go?" James said. Sabrina nodded, and soon they exited the store.
***
A few hours and several hundred dollars later, James plopped down on a plush reclining chair in the living room of the guesthouse while Sabrina teleported the groceries from her car to his kitchen. When she was done she teleported herself into the living room. James jumped. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," Sabrina said, giggling. She sat down on the sofa and glanced at James. His eyes were closed. "Tired out?" she asked. James opened his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, shopping can wear you out," Sabrina admitted. She smiled at her boyfriend. "So, I'll let you go so you can sleep or shower or whatever," she said, giving James a brief kiss. "Ok. See you tomorrow?" he asked. Sabrina grinned. "Of course. We'll go to the gym so I can see what kind of shape you're in for the league finals," she said. "I can help you train for it," she explained. "Really? That would be great," James said. Sabrina nodded. "So we have a deal?" she asked. James nodded and stood up from the reclining chair. "Do you want me to walk you to your door?" he asked. Sabrina smiled at him but shook her head. "No, I'll just teleport. But thank you for asking," she said. She gave him another kiss. "Night James. See you tomorrow," she said. "Night Sabrina! See you tomorrow."
**
Walking down a busy Saffron City street, James spotted a large motel about 50 feet away. That looks decent, he thought. Humming a jaunty tune, James ambled his way to the hotel, now and then checking out the shops that lined the street. While he was in the comic book shop checking out the latest issue of Spinarak Man, the sound of a familiar laugh caught his attention. Looking around, he was surprised to see Sabrina reading the latest issue of Zubatgirl. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wow, I didn't take you for a comic book fan," he said to Sabrina. Sabrina looked up, surprised as well. "James!" she said. Her face melted into a smile. "What a coincidence to see you here," she said. Then she addressed his comment. "Oh, yeah, I love comics!" she said. "I really got into them a few years ago," she said. "It was sort of to make up for the childhood I missed as a gym leader," she explained. James nodded. He glanced at the Zubatgirl in her hand. "So is that one your favorite?" he asked. Sabrina shook her head. "No, my favorite is Elf Journey, " she said. "Oh, I've read that one," James said. "It's pretty good." Sabrina nodded. A dreamy look appeared in her eyes. "I think it's so romantic how they have soul names," she said. James grinned. "I don't know. I mean Recognition is so random. I think I'd rather fall in love the old fashioned way." Sabrina gazed at him. "True." She cocked her head and smiled. "So, what is your favorite comic book?" she asked him. James shrugged. "I like all of them." He thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I really like the Bunny the Vampire Slayer comics," he said. "That's cool," Sabrina said. "So, what brings you here?" she asked. James put down Spinarak Man and walked over to Sabrina. "I was on my way to the hotel," he said. "My stay at the Pokecenter was over." Sabrina put down Zubatgirl. "Oh, that's right. You have all eight badges now, so you can compete in the Indigo Plateau League Finals." She glanced at James. "They don't start for another month though. What are you going to do until then?" she asked. James shrugged. "I kind of like it here. I was thinking of finding a place. I'm going to stay at the hotel until I do," he said.
By now they had started walking side by side out of the comic book shop. Sabrina looked thoughtful. "I have a guest house you could stay at," she finally said mischievously, glancing at James to see his reaction. She wasn't disappointed. James sweatdropped and blushed. "I don't know. Wouldn't that be weird?" he asked. Sabrina giggled and shook her head. "Why would it be? The guesthouse is totally separate. You wouldn't even see me unless you wanted to," she said. James looked interested, so Sabrina went on. "The guest house is about 50 feet from my own house. It has a single bedroom, a kitchen, a full bathroom, a living room, and a dining room." She turned around and walked backwards, facing James and holding his hands lightly. "You would have your own address and phone number, too," she said. "Plus, I'll only charge you half the rent," she added. James looked even more interested. "Only half?" he asked. Sabrina nodded. "That is, if you promise not to be a stranger," she teased. James looked thoughtful. It would sure be better than staying at a hotel and looking for a place he could afford. Plus, there was the bonus of being close to Sabrina. He decided to at least look at it. "Can I see it first?" he asked. "Of course," Sabrina said.
**
They stepped through the door into Sabrina's guesthouse. "And here I thought Brock had awesome furniture," James said, looking around at the fully furnished living room. "Oh, I forgot to mention, it's already furnished," Sabrina said with a smile. "Yeah, I noticed," James teased. He walked further into the place. "How about a tour?" he asked. Sabrina nodded. "Sure," she said. She led him around the small guesthouse, showing him the bathroom, the kitchen, the dining area, and finally the bedroom. James plopped down on the king-size bed and tested it out. "Not bad," he said, finally. He sat up. "I think I'll take you up on your offer," he said. Sabrina smiled. "Great! You can move in right away, if you want," she said. James nodded. "Yeah, I plan on it. How much is half the rent anyway?" he asked. Sabrina told him and he nodded. "Sounds good to me," he said, handing over the said amount of money to pay for his first month. Sabrina pocketed it and grinned. "So, do you need help unpacking?" she asked. "Nope, all I have with me is this backpack of clothes," he said, pointing to the backpack still strapped over his shoulder. Sabrina's brow furrowed. "Really? That's all?" she asked. James nodded. "Yeah, I never actually stayed in one place long enough to acquire much more than clothes," he explained. "I did a lot of traveling as a Team Rocket member and as a trainer." Sabrina nodded. "Makes sense," she said. She gently poked at the clothes he was wearing. "You could use some new threads," she decided. "Come on, it's time for a shopping spree!" she said gleefully. James sweatdropped. "Do we have to?" he asked. Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "If you're worried about paying, don't worry about it. I've got it covered," she said with a smile, tugging him toward the door. "But-but you really don't have to!" he protested. Sabrina grinned. "But I want to! Besides, it's for my benefit too. Nice clothes make you look cuter," she said, giving him a sly wink. "Now come on, let's go!" she said. James gave up. "Ok. You're as bad as Jessie, you know that?" he said, shaking his head. Sabrina grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment," she replied.
****
Sabrina let James shop for his own clothes in the clothes section while she looked at CDs in the music section. The Celadon City Department Store certainly had everything, she thought. She reached for the latest CD by Magenta, "Miss Understood," and grabbed it as the same time as someone else. "Oh, I'm sorry," Sabrina said, looking up to the person who'd also grabbed it. To her surprise, it was Misty. "Misty! What brings you here?" she asked. Misty looked just as surprised to see Sabrina. "Shopping. You?" she asked. Then she blushed. "I guess that's a dumb question, you're obviously shopping too," she said. Sabrina smiled at the younger girl. "Don't worry about it, Misty," she said. She changed the subject. "I hear you're dating Ash now," she said. "It must be exciting to be the girlfriend of the youngest Pokemon Champion," she said. Misty blushed and nodded. "Yeah. He's really busy right now training, what with the Indigo Plateau League finals coming up. He has to defend his position," Misty said, somewhat proudly. Sabrina nodded. "He'll need it. The buzz in the gym leader circle is that Lance is going to try to get his title back," Sabrina said. Misty's eyes widened into Os. "Really? I should pass that along to Ash," she said. Sabrina cocked her head at Misty. "Have you thought about taking over Cerulean City Gym?" she asked. "Your sisters are making us look bad," she admitted. "We could use someone like you as a gym leader," she said. Misty looked a little startled. "No, I hadn't thought about it, actually." A thoughtful look crossed her face. "It's not a bad idea. I get kind of bored just doing nothing since Ash is usually busy." Sabrina grinned at Misty. "Well there you go, something to do with your time," she said. Just then James walked up with a bag full of clothes and tapped Sabrina on the shoulder. "I have a bagful of clothes. Are you satisfied?" he teased. Then he spotted Misty. "Ah! A twerp!" he said, startled. Misty noticed him and had a similar reaction. "Ah! Team Rocket!" she said. Sabrina laughed. "James isn't in Team Rocket anymore," she reminded Misty. "Oh. Right," Misty said. She blushed. "Sorry about that," she apologized to James. James blushed and nodded. "Sorry about calling you a twerp," he replied. Misty was about to answer when a curious look crossed her face. She looked back and forth between James and Sabrina. "Are you two dating or something?" she asked. Sabrina and James looked at each other. "Not officially. Yet." Sabrina answered. She smiled at James. "You wanna go steady with me?" she asked. James laughed. "Sure, why not?" he replied Sabrina turned back to Misty. "Yes, we're dating now," she said. Misty laughed and shook her head. "I never thought.I mean.I thought James would end up with Jessie," she said, glancing apologetically at Sabrina. James grinned and shook his head. "No. Jessie is just my best friend. Besides, she is dating Brock," he said, waiting for Misty's reaction. "Oh," she said. Then what he had said sunk in. "Jessie and Brock?!? When did this happen?" she said, looking slightly alarmed. "I'm so out of the loop," she moaned. James grinned. "Don't worry, it's a pretty new development," he said. Misty sighed. "So I guess we're all paired up now," she said. Sabrina nodded. "If Ash can get a free moment, why don't we all go out on a triple date?" Sabrina suggested. Misty made a face. "Ash, have a free moment?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "I'll see what I can do," she said. Then she snickered. "I can't wait to see the look on his face when he finds out Brock is dating Jessie," she said. "You're an evil woman Misty," Sabrina teased. Misty grinned. "It's payback for my bike," she explained. "Ah. Right. So call me when you find out when Ash is free," Sabrina said, handing her card to Misty. Misty pocketed it and nodded. "I will. It was good to see you, Sabrina. And James," she added. "It was nice to see you too Misty," Sabrina said. They hugged and parted ways. James and Sabrina watched the redhead leave the store. "She looked really happy," Sabrina remarked, taking James's hand. James nodded. "I think it's because she finally admitted her feelings to Ash, if their dating is any indication," James said. Sabrina glanced sideways at him. "So you noticed it too? That they are totally meant for each other, I mean," she said. James almost snorted. "Of course I noticed. A blind person could have seen that," he said, not unkindly. Sabrina smiled. "I think it's sweet." James squeezed Sabrina's hand and smiled at her. "I think we're sweet," he said. Sabrina nodded and kissed him. "Me too," she said. She smiled happily at him before returning to business. "Ok, we've got you some clothes. Now, we should go to the grocery store and stock up on food for the guesthouse, since the kitchen is empty," Sabrina said. James's eyes lit up. "Oh, food!" he said. He glanced at Sabrina. "Do I get to pick out my own food, too?" he teased. Sabrina gave him a look. "Of course. I let you pick out your own clothes didn't I?" she teased right back. James grinned. "You did," he said. "Well then, there's your answer," Sabrina said with a wink. "So, shall we go?" James said. Sabrina nodded, and soon they exited the store.
***
A few hours and several hundred dollars later, James plopped down on a plush reclining chair in the living room of the guesthouse while Sabrina teleported the groceries from her car to his kitchen. When she was done she teleported herself into the living room. James jumped. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you," Sabrina said, giggling. She sat down on the sofa and glanced at James. His eyes were closed. "Tired out?" she asked. James opened his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, shopping can wear you out," Sabrina admitted. She smiled at her boyfriend. "So, I'll let you go so you can sleep or shower or whatever," she said, giving James a brief kiss. "Ok. See you tomorrow?" he asked. Sabrina grinned. "Of course. We'll go to the gym so I can see what kind of shape you're in for the league finals," she said. "I can help you train for it," she explained. "Really? That would be great," James said. Sabrina nodded. "So we have a deal?" she asked. James nodded and stood up from the reclining chair. "Do you want me to walk you to your door?" he asked. Sabrina smiled at him but shook her head. "No, I'll just teleport. But thank you for asking," she said. She gave him another kiss. "Night James. See you tomorrow," she said. "Night Sabrina! See you tomorrow."