Journey of a thousand James
Chapter7: Reckless Plan
"He's here." After the deal, James had come back to the car and had been assigned with guarding the injured hostages while Chess kept on guarding Erika, Sabrina and Drake. James, wearing a guilty face, could feel Erika's glare on his back all the time. After he had come back with Chess basically all over him and she had communicated that he had decided to 'get back in shape', that was everything she had done, while Sabrina's gaze had not mutated in the least. And now, Chess' gaze had been met with the arrival of two people aboard a Dragonair. "Incredible. A Pokémon that big, landing this gracefully."
"…so… it's time?" James said from the other car, to which Chess replied with a nod.
"Yes, it is. Machamp." Chess released her Pokémon again, outside of the train, the ground trembling and his loud voice echoing in the air signalling the fact. Chess began to walk outside. "Bring them with us outside."
"A-Alright," James replied uneasily, as he turned to the other occupants of the room, Erika still glaring at him.
I… I can't believe that I actually… for this… this jerk… The grass-type trainer swatted away James' hand and stood up on her own, walking out of the train. James sighed and then offered the same help to Sabrina, who just stared at his face, and the male trainer could swear that her facial features were showing worry.
"…James…" she said, and James groaned.
"Sabrina… There's no other way," he said, and almost forcefully made her stand up and hurrying her out of the room, before turning to Drake who had stood up from his seat and was staring at him. "…what is it?"
"Whatever you think of doing, I hope it's good, boy." Saying that, Drake walked past a stunned James, who quickly recovered before sighing deeply.
"I hope so too…"
--
"…there they are." Lance said, holding under his right arm a metallic case as he watched a woman along with a Machamp, the one who had talked to him on the phone, got out of the train followed by Erika, Sabrina, Drake and last, 'the man'. He knew the first three personally, the last one by name. They were getting closer and closer, while he focused his attention on the unconscious and injured people in the nearby car. His grip on the case tightened as he began to walk too, till the group met with him, the woman facing him with a smirk on her face.
"Hello. So, you're Lance. I must say, television hardly does you justice," the girl joked, Lance's attention on the people behind her, as James walked to her left side.
"Sir Drake. Erika, Sabrina," he said, acknowledging the three people's state, looking at Erika's and Sabrina's bruises and Drake's pretty unscathed state. He then turned to James, who lowered his hat over his head. "And… the mysterious man."
"Ehm… Hello?" James covered his head because he had just remembered a couple of occasions during which himself and this man had been in the same place, even if they probably had never met face to face. It didn't hurt to be on the safe side, though.
"The hostages?" Lance asked, after acknowledging that just like Koga had presumed, James had something to hide and thus he didn't want to be recognized or even seen clearly in face.
"They're well… well, they're not dead. What can I say, you saw what happened on tv, right?" That earned surprise from everyone but Chess, who snorted. "Oh, come on. You really think I wouldn't notice a Fearow with a camera hanging from his neck? It's not like a flying Pokémon decides to start flying in circle over the same area again and again just for the hell of it."
"…true." Lance suddenly put in front of him the metallic case he had been holding under his arm, which earned a soft expression of delight from Chess. "This is what you want."
"…open it," Chess basically ordered, and the Kanto Champion complied. He slowly opened the metallic case, and a bright light began to shine from its inside, and the girl's eyes widened in recognition. "Yes… This is it…" The object that shone with strong light was a torch that contained the strongest burning flame she had ever seen, all stuck under a transparent material. Not glass, since it would have melted in a few seconds of being near that flame. She slowly took the metal case in her hands, observing the object with glee. "The flame of Moltres."
"Yeah… it's beautiful…" James had to repress memories of his own dealings with his inner Moltres, and then swallowed. Alright… three… two… one… His arms shot forward and snapped the metallic case from Chess's hands, much to the surprise of everyone but himself and Sabrina.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Chess was pretty vocal in her exclamation, but James just secured the now closed case under his arm. "Sabrina, now!"
"Y-Yes." The psychic girl hesitated, before she touched James' arm and the two disappeared in a flash of yellow light under the incredulous stares of the other members of the little group of people.
"W-What the…" Then, Chess remembered that Sabrina had psychic powers that did not limit themselves to reading minds. After all, if her father could do it… The Rocket commander began to look around bewildered, mimicked by the others. "Where the hell did they go?!"
--
"Alright. Great work, Sabrina. Now go back and then… you know what to do." James said, swallowing nervously and sweating, before starting to work on the control panel in front of him for a few seconds before noticing that Sabrina hadn't moved from her location. "What's wrong?"
"…This… you could…" the girl said, displaying one of the worst emotions ever: fear for someone else's safety or in this case, life. He groaned.
"I know, but if I don't do this, she will just kill all of those people on the train. There's no other way," James said as he pulled a lever and the engine started working again. "Now, please… Do what I asked of you, Sabrina."
"…" The psychic-type trainer bit her lower lip and then, reluctantly, she complied.
--
"What happened? Where…" Erika was voicing her worries before Sabrina reappeared and teleported away Drake and herself too, teleporting them near Lance's Dragonair. Erika took a few seconds to regain her bearings before realizing that she had no idea of what was going on. "Sabrina, what happened?! Where's James?!"
"Hey, 'Jill'!" The black haired woman turned to the source of the mocking voice, alias James sticking half of his body out of the Magnet Train's front car. She narrowed her eyes and was about to order her Machamp to snap the neck of one of the hostages, when she noticed that he was still holding the case under one arm and that the front car was starting to move along with the two first class cars. Her eyes widened.
Don't tell me… but if he knew that we've already sabotaged the brakes, then… "Are you crazy or something?!" She began to run in the direction of the train, calling back her Machamp to his Pokéball in the meanwhile.
"You want the flame of Moltres?!" The cars began to move faster and faster as the engine began to speed up. "Come and get it!"
"You crazy…" Chess accelerated and barely managed to jump on the back end of the second first class car just as the train began to reach a high enough speed for her to lose her hat due to the wind. "Bastard!"
"…" Lance had done nothing during the whole exchange, fearing for the hostages' safety, but now that everything had transpired, his reaction was a simple sentence. "What did just happen?"
--
"What did just happen?"
"It seems dat… James took off with de train and de flame of Moltres… And made it so dat de girl with de Machamp followed him." Meowth scratched his head in thought. "Very brave, smart… Are we really sure dat it is James? OW!"
"That's not the problem, right now, idiot." The talking Pokémon had received a punch to the head, courtesy of Jessie. "The problem is, he just took off with the train, and the only other passenger is that girl who possesses that Machamp who we all saw what could do…" She then groaned. "Idiot… Why did he have to go and do something that reckless?"
"He probably saw no other way out, hn?" Brock was observing the television's screen with one arm over his chest and the other one's corresponding hand rubbed his chin in thought, while Ash was trying to reanimate an unconscious Dawn, who had fainted from an overload of fangirliness. The scene with the departing train was too much for her. "I just hope he survives this."
--
"…well, I've seriously gone and done it, now," James considered, as he observed the scenery going faster and faster in front of his eyes, as he gripped the train's command console hard. "Well… now comes the hardest part." He sighed and turned around, opening the door right behind him and finding himself in the large and luxurious first class car. On the other end of the car a similar scene happened, only the one who walked through the door was a black haired girl, now without her hat and with a pretty pissed off look on her face.
"…you…" she said through gritted teeth, staring with fury at the violet haired man in front of her. "Did you really think you could get away with this stunt?"
"…maybe, maybe not. The point was to get you away from the hostages and the other rockets. As for me… well, I didn't plan that far ahead, I guess?" James said, rubbing the back of his head. Chess groaned and palmed her face.
"You DO realize that you've basically condemned yourself to die, right?"
"It's not changed much from before. At least, this way… it's just me." James said, looking at the ground sadly. Chess was no longer angry, it seemed, but she kept on staring at him.
"…you thought I was bluffing? I was really offering you a place back into the real organization," Chess said, to which James replied by shaking his head.
"I know. But…" James bit his lip, searching for the courage to do what he had thought of doing. He breathed out. "Team Rocket has changed a lot from when I first joined… or maybe, I never really knew it… or maybe I just didn't care."
"…your point?" Chess said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"The point is, you've hurt a lot of people and where ready to kill just for the flame of Moltres, which is only a part of a bigger plan. If it's proportional to this…" James pointed out, raising his head, worry but also determination grasping his very soul. "The body count is going to sky-'rocket'. I don't want anything to do with something like that. A-And that's also why I won't give you the flame of Moltres."
"…intelligence, wisdom and bravery. Even if I think I could hear your legs' trembling a mile away." Chess said, looking at how James' legs were about to do the twist out of trembling. She sighed. "What a shame. I think that you could have really been the best partner ever…"
"Ehm… I'm sorry?"
"Don't be. Since that doesn't change that you've just basically handed me your resignation from Team Rocket." James flinched at that, but he really didn't have anything against that. It was more or less his intention. "Also, it's not like I can just go back without the flame of Moltres. So, as it seems like you're so prone on opposing me, I've decided that I'll kill you before you plummet to your death and then take the flame of Moltres."
"I-I won't let you," James said, throwing both his arms to his sides sharply. "You won't either kill me or take the flame!"
"You really think you can defeat me?" she said, chuckling. "No amount of intelligence will let you overcome the power of my Pokémon."
"Maybe… and yet, you're already at a disadvantage." Chess blinked at that while James picked four Pokéballs from his belt. "First, you have given me back my Pokémon, and you have only two. I have two times the Pokémon you have. Second, here you will not be able to use your Machamp."
"…I will not be able to… Ah." Chess' eyes widened when she realized that they were on a very fast moving train. If Machamp wrecked the car even a bit, they would all end up as splashes of red on the Viridian range. She narrowed her eyes. "…so what?" Her right hand went for her other Pokéball, which she opened, releasing her other Pokémon.
"Crobat!"
"My Crobat will be more than enough for dealing with you," she said, venom in her voice as she put the Pokéball back on her belt, her Pokémon flying around her in circle a couple of times before settling with hovering in front of her. "Any last words?"
"…a few. The first ones being…" James threw up in the air his four Pokéballs, that enlarged just as a gust of wind from an open window made his hat fly away and out of the train. "Let's go, guys!"
--
"He did what?!" Erika screamed in outrage after hearing of James' plan from Sabrina, while Drake and Lance shared an incredulous expression. Sabrina was just showing worry. "But why?! He knew that the train can't be stopped anymore! And he knew about the explosives! Why?!"
"It was… the only way to get her and her Pokémon away from the hostages." Sabrina replied, looking at the ground.
"…how much time till they reach the booby trapped bridge?" Lance asked, having been informed by Sabrina about Chess' plan for escaping beforehand.
"Right now… 27 minutes and 45 seconds," Sabrina replied, to which Lance replied with a nod before turning to Drake.
"Sir Drake, I assume that woman still has your Pokémon?"
"Sadly, yes," Drake replied with a nod.
"Then, we have two things to retrieve. As soon as help comes here for the injured, we will depart." Erika turned confused to the two dragon masters, and it didn't went unnoticed by the two Elite four. "Lady Erika, how much do you know about Dragon-type Pokémon?"
--
"Crobat! Air Cutter!"
"Mimic! Flamethrower!" The two attacks from one side met the single one from the other one and exploded in a flurry of embers and a strong wind gale that cut open lots of holes on the roof of the train. Both trainers shielded their eyes instinctively, but James reacted first. "Bulletseed!"
"Crobat! Dodge!" He barely managed to do so, dodging by a hair's breath the Grass Pokémon's attack. "Attack! Poison Fang!" The poison type's fang gleamed with a violet light and mouth open, it launched itself against the nearest target, alias Growlithe.
"Reflect!" Mr Mime obeyed, and projected a shield of psychic energy in the middle of the car which Crobat impacted head on, shattering it in pieces but the Pokémon staggered for enough time. "Growlithe!"
"Grooooooooow!" The fire type howled and let out a huge burst of fire that enveloped the flying Pokémon.
"Crobat! Wing Attack!" For the few seconds that Chess needed to issue her order. A single flap of the Pokémon's wing was enough to dissolve the cloak of fire that had engulfed him.
"Darn! I hoped it would last more!" James said, shielding his eyes again from the burst of small embers. But… it's fine like this… at least, now I know that I've got a chance. James swallowed and waited for Chess' next move.
"…darn." In the meanwhile, Chess was having maybe the opposite path of thought. She was at a disadvantage in that position too. Flying Pokémon's strong points are their speed and the fact that they can fly and as such, they can add a dimension of movement that other Pokémon cannot add to their style of fighting. In such a cramped space like a train's car, I can't use Crobat well enough. If this becomes a battle of friction, he will sooner or later triumph. He has four Pokémon, among which he has a healing/support type like Chimecho. With his heal bell he can keep this battle going forever, unless I use attacks powerful enough to break through Mr Mime's barriers and take his Pokémon out in one blow… Air Cutter barely managed to do the trick, and I can't use that other attack unless… She gritted her teeth. Damn it! I knew I should have waited for Crobat to undergo the full treatment too. "Crobat! Haze!"
"Eh?" James' eyes widened as the flying Pokémon suddenly let out a cloud of dark smoke that quickly filled the room, obscuring his gaze and his Pokémon's one as well, he guessed. "Mr Mime! Mirror Shield!"
"Useless," Chess said before the cloud hid her from sight, even if it was already dissipating because of the train's opened windows. "Haze isn't an attack move. Its only purpose is to cure Pokémon of status like poison and paralysis. It's not something you can block since it has no harmful intent."
"… Not an attack…" Then what purpose… Ah! Before James could raise his head, Crobat had already disappeared from sight, and once the haze had dissipated, the Pokémon was nowhere to be seen. The violet haired man shot his head in all directions, but he couldn't catch a glimpse of the poison type. "What… Where did he go?"
"Be patient, James…" Chess chuckled at James' predicament, before the man noticed a sudden change in her surroundings, coming from behind her back, precisely. A black light radiating from the car behind the one they were in, the second first class car. His eyes widened.
"Mr Mime! Re…" Too late. Before he could even finish his sentence or the psychic Pokémon could put a barrier, a black blur had devoured the distance between him and his target in an instant, and an explosion of black light filled the car for a few seconds and James felt something flying past him and he heard it slamming against the wall behind him. "…what…" He slowly turned his head behind him, and his skin tone became so white that he could have passed for a ghost. "MR MIME!"
In front of him was now hovering Crobat, his whole being covered in blood. Blood not his own, but of James' Pokémon, who had slid to the floor after impacting the wall behind him, a large gash evident on his chest and many minor ones all over the front of his body. James was about to hurry to his side. "Hmph. I knew that without the full treatment, that attack wouldn't be at full power."
When he remembered that he still was in the middle of the fight. He gritted his teeth. "Chimecho! Focus your Healing Bell move on Mr Mime!" He then turned his eyes on Golbat and Chess again. "…that move… Fly?"
"Eheheh… nope." Chess said, chuckling as Crobat tried to lick the blood off his body. "That was the most powerful flying attack in existence: Sky Attack."
"Sky…" James had heard the attack being used before, he knew it. If his memory didn't fail him, that kid Paul's Murkrow knew the attack… but it wasn't nearly that powerful. "…how did…"
"It was pretty powerful, right?" Chess smirked evilly. "I suspect that that was the move's full power… That is, if a normal Pokémon used it."
"A normal Pokémon…" And she mentioned a treatment… James gripped his hands into fists, in rage. "Just what are you doing to Pokémon?! They severely injure people, they…"
"They become incredibly powerful… granted, if they do survive the treatment." At that James' eyes widened, and Chess right out laughed. "Remind me to show you our dump. It's filled with dead Pokémon, by now."
"…you…"
"That is, if you surrender and survive. So… I will ask it once again." Chess' expression regained its seriousness. "Step aside and let me retrieve the flame."
"…never!" James roared, in defiance. Chess frowned.
"Then, you will die! Crobat! S…"
"The hell you are! Carnivine!" At James' command, Carnivine's vines snapped forward and grabbed Crobat. "Now that I know how you resolved the matter of the mobility, you'll think I'll let your Pokémon get far away?!"
"Hmph. So, I see it. But…" The Crobat just opened his mouth and bit hard into Carnivine's vines, earning a yelp from the grass type. "You seem to have forgotten about my Crobat's poison fangs…"
"Carnivine! Pull him in!"
"Carn!" The grass type, still wincing from the pain and the venom entering his body, complied with his trainer's wishes and started to pull in the flying type, much to Chess' shock, since the whole purpose of the attacks from before was to keep her Pokémon away from him and his other Pokémon. Once he got into range, she would order him to use a wide area attack and take James out of the game… then, she noticed that James had grabbed something with both hands.
"What…!" Her mouth fell agape as she saw him raise both his arms along with the grasped object, far above his head. The bastard… He wouldn't! "S-Stop!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" That was probably the first time something like that ever happened in a few hundred years: a human fighting a Pokémon with his own strength… mostly because that always ended badly for a human. That was a lucky day for James, though; he had in front of him a Crobat, a Pokémon hardly suited for heavy physical fighting. He was wielding a wrench he had found in a toolbox in the front car. He had had the element of surprise.
He hit the Crobat hard on top of his head, making him slam into the floor and bouncing off it, blood starting to ooze from the injury… And yet, he saw that the wrench had dented. "Growlithe! Flamethrower!"
"Grooooooooooooooow!" Chess' eyes widened and she dove on the left behind one of the passengers' seat, getting out of the way of the cloud of fire that enveloped her flying type. When she raised her head again, she saw her Crobat burned but still on his feet… and James charging at it, the wrench to his side, this time. He hit the flying type and sent him smashing through one of the car's windows, much to Chess' shock.
"…you…" She slowly got up from the floor and glared at her opponent fiercely, who just smiled mischievously himself, for once.
"What? You thought you were the only one who was able to think out of the box?" James dropped the bent wrench to the ground. "Since your Pokémon seriously harm humans, I guess it's okay for me to do something like that… I don't think your Crobat will be able to catch up with this train anytime soon." He then glared at her. "You will have to pass on my dead body before I let you reduce another one of my Pokémon like you did with Mr Mime."
"…as you wish." Chess gritted her teeth and pulled out the other one of the her Pokéballs, much to James' blanking. "You asked for it."
"Eh?! W-Wait!" James knew what other Pokémon she had at her disposal. "I-If you unleash your Machamp here…"
"The train will derail. So what? You didn't consider two things, here, buddy…" She clicked the small white button and the Pokéball enlarged, much to the ex-Rocket's growing shock. "First, the case containing the flame is made out of an hyperresistant material. Or did you think that anything could not catch fire by staying near a flame of the legendary Moltres? Second, I can ask my Pokémon to protect me with his body should the train go out of its tracks, or just jump us both away to safety. So…" She threw it. "I'll just wreck your Pokémon, you, this train, and take the flame from its remains!"
This is really, really bad!
--
"Please, miss Erika… You've got to…"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Other officers of the league and members of the Pokémon police had arrived on the place where the train had stopped, and had started helping people on flying Pokémon and machines to take them to Goldenrod City, but there was a certain Gym Leader who was adamant in not leaving. "Not until I'm sure James is alright!"
"…Erika…" Sabrina put a hand on the black haired trainer's left shoulder, catching his attention. "…we can't do anything here. Let's go with them."
"But…"
"I'm sure mister Lance and sir Drake will be able to help him… other than that, we can do nothing but wait." Erika calmed down, but her gaze immediately became downcast.
"…the most excruciating task." Erika was really worried because of many things. That woman's Pokémon weren't normal. James was facing her alone. But the most important fact was that what she wanted wasn't with him on the train. He had no leverage at all to safe his life.
--
"…cough!" He slowly got up from the ground as he choked on his own blood, and everything that he could see around him was pain and suffering. The suffering of his friends… his Pokémon. He had been somewhat lucky, since Chess' Machamp had just backhanded him into one of the train's walls. His Pokémon hadn't been so lucky. The fighting type had been merciless, pummelling them one after another. First Carnivine, then Growlithe… even Chimecho. In his outburst, the roof of the car had been practically destroyed. Seats had been thrown around. The only one still standing, all that was left between him and more suffering was a pretty beaten up fire type. "G-Growlithe…"
"G-Growl…" He could see him shaking, his leg muscles maybe damaged by the strength of the blow. In front of him, stood the towering mass of Machamp and behind him, a woman with a cruel smile on her face.
"Hmph. Indeed, your Growlithe is one of a kind… if it had evolved and with the treatment… yeah. You would have made a great agent," Chess said, rubbing her chin with one hand, the corresponding elbow resting in the other. "Too bad that, now that you've pissed me off, the offer is no longer valid. Now…" The fighting type growled out his name, flexing all his muscles to intimidate Growlithe, who didn't even move. "Shall I inflict a bit more of pain on you and your Pokémon?"
"…I…" James held his side, thinking of having maybe a cracked rib or four. He slowly picked up a Pokéball… And pointed it at Growlithe. "Growlie… come back."
"G-Grow…?" The Pokémon whined and turned his head only to be returned to his Pokéball and then to James' belt. The trainer proceeded to do the same with his other Pokémon, leaving him completely defenceless.
"What? You want to take a wrench's shot at Machamp?" Chess laughed loudly in amusement. "Sorry, but my Machamp underwent the full treatment. He's on another league altogether than Crobat… well, a wrench wouldn't have hurt a normal Machamp, actually."
"…you win." Chess blinked at that, as James slowly walked to a side of the train, putting his back against the wall and slowly sliding down to sit on the floor. "…just go and take the flame. I'm… I admit defeat."
"…well, you aren't an idiot, then, after all." Chess called back her Machamp, since she couldn't walk comfortably with the huge Pokémon in the way, and started walking towards the front car's door.
"It was the first rule… I learned when I got into Team Rocket's theft division, you know? I guess I had forgotten it for a long time… stupid me…" James said, his gaze on the floor as Chess passed by him and opened the door.
"Oh? They teach you when it's time to give up?"
"Not at all… princess." Chess blinked when he called her like that, and the mocking tone he had used was evident. She turned around to see him smiling, one eyes closed from the pain of his broken bones, holding a Pokéball and her belt-pocket. "The rule was: 'always plan everything thoroughly'."
"…when did you…"
"The flame of Moltres isn't here." Chess was shocked to say the least. "When I climbed in the train I dropped it out of a window of this car before starting the front car. Sorry… mission failed, Chess." James then let the back of his head fall against the wall and he looked outside. "Oh, look… the bridge." Indeed, half an hour was up. The train was rapidly approaching the booby trapped bridge.
"…you mean that you've climbed into this death-trap of a train, knowing perfectly that you had zero chances of defeating me and that the whole thing would likely result in your death one way or the other?" Chess slowly approached him as James tied her belt pocket to his own belt along with her Machamp's Pokéball. "You dared… you dare trick me?! All this trouble, and the Flame isn't even on this train?!"
"…yep." James replied, almost casually. No, definitely casually. That broke something in Chess' brain. The next thing he knew, she had thrown herself at him and was furiously punching him in the face. She raised him off the floor and kneed him in the gut. "Urk! Ack!" He spit blood, his injuries worsened by her fury. She then proceeded to slap him and punch him in the stomach. "Gh…" He fell to the ground on his knees, while Chess breathed heavily, hyperventilating, out of anger more than fatigue.
"You prick! You damn useless bastard! HOW DARE YOU TRICK ME! HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed as James breathed heavily, rasping, his hands holding his stomach for a moment before he had to use them to support his weight and stop himself from falling to the floor.
"…you know…" James fidgeted around with his hands for a while… Before grabbing the wrench from the floor and slamming it under Chess' jaw, sending the girl flying in the air and against an already damaged window, shards of glass flying everywhere. "You don't need a licence… to trick someone… Cough!" He coughed again, and then he looked up. "Heh… and who said that I thought I had no chances of survival, when I decided to board this train again?"
"…what are you…" That's when wind started to blow hard in the train while Chess slowly got up on her feet, blood coming out from cuts on her back and the big one on her chin, courtesy of James. She looked up and saw a very familiar and intimidating gaze… She understood.
"Young man!" Drake dropped from Dragonair's body and onto the floor just behind James, a rope attached to his and the Pokémon's waist, as Lance prompted his Pokémon to keep on following the train as it kept on moving.
"Hurry up!" Johto's future champion shouted as his gaze was fixed on the train and the bridge up ahead. "The bridge! We're almost there!"
"…when I heard that… you were having Lance deliver the flame… well, did you know that Dragonair is one of the planet's fastest Pokémon?" James smiled and Chess collapsed to the floor on her knees, not caring about the pieces of glass. Her gaze vacant as Drake tied himself to James and the violet haired man picked her up from the ground. "Come on. We need to get out of here."
"…" She didn't reply as the three started being lifted from the train's floor. Her mind was lost in a loop that told her just one simple thing. She had not been only tricked, she had been totally and completely defeated. He had defeated one of her Pokémon, he had stripped her of the other one, he had denied her her prize, he had made her take out all her subordinates, he had saved the lives of everyone on the train, she had made her bleed… she had failed on every. Single. Front.
That was when the train reached the bridge and exploded. That broke her out of his reverie as he realized they were hovering over the canyon as a cloud of fire filled the air under her. She acted like a robot, picking a particularly large piece of glass stuck in her arm and stabbing James in his right arm with it. "Aaaaaaaah!"
"You…" she whispered, and then she started stabbing him repeatedly. "YouyouyouyouYOUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
"Aahhh!"
"Young man! Drop her!" Drake shouted, but James instinctively or not, he didn't comply. Then she slashed the piece of glass behind her, slashing at him on the nose diagonally. On instinct… he opened his arms.
"!" The black haired woman lost her hat as she fell to her death towards the cloud of fire and the canyon below, under James' shocked gaze, and the grimacing gazes of Drake and Lance.
"…Jill…" He called her by the name she had met her by, observing the flames and vacant air for a few more seconds… Before the pain, the tiredness and the blood loss kicked in. He passed out in Drake's arms.
"…sir Drake…" Lance began to make movements to land on the ground to better secure the injured trainer and the fellow Elite Four on the back of his Dragonair.
"No worries, my friend…" The Elite Four checked with his eyes the pocket James had tied to his belt, and he recognized it as the one where the woman had put his Pokéball in. "…this young man has done a great deed, today."
"…I hope… it will be enough for him."
--
"…so, she failed." It seemed like the authorities weren't the only organizations with flying Pokémon used as long-range cameras, but Giovanni was probably the only one who liked to spy on his employees or as he called it, 'check on his investments'.
"…Chess…" The almost pitiful voice belonged to one of the higher ranking members of the organization, a blonde haired woman who had followed everything with tension. She had been the one to suggest assigning Chess to the mission's command, and she had been the one to scream when she saw her plummet to her death. Shock and sadness were quickly leaving space to anger, though. "I'm going to kill him… I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"
"Domino, settle down," Giovanni ordered, but the blonde woman wouldn't have any of that.
"SETTLE DOWN?! THAT BASTARD KILLED MY SISTER! HE…"
"I said, settle down!" The boss of Team Rocket practically roared, and Domino couldn't help but indeed calm down. Giovanni rarely got angry, but when he did, it was bet to just shut up and do as he said. "In case you were watching something else, your sister killed herself out of spite and anger for her failure. Stabbing the arms of the person keeping you from falling to your death isn't exactly the most intelligent course of action."
"Heh. I'd say. Getting so worked up over a fluke of an idiot…" a silver haired young woman chuckled at her own words, furthering Domino's ire. Then a booming round of laughter filled the room, startling the girl and the blond haired one sitting beside her. "W-W-What's so funny?!"
"A fluke! You really do crack me up, Oakley!" The booming voice of Vicious resounded in the enclosed environment. "That man, basically alone thwarted our plans! He saved every single passenger on the train, defeated Chess and one of our special Pokémon, got back the ones we had stolen, kept us from the flame of Moltres and even managed to get way with his life in the process! You call that a fluke?!"
"I guess… That goes to show that he was indeed a legend in the theft department, once," Annie said absentmindedly, tending to her nails. Oakley just 'Tsk'-ed.
"So says the girl who had three posters of her 'sempaaiiiiiiiiiiii' in her room before he became the laughing stock of the organization."
"OAKLEY!"
"Ahahahah! Indeed, he seems to have returned to his prime! I wonder what happened to make him go back to his origins!" Vicious laughed some more while Giovanni's eyes were fixed on the figure of the violet haired man strapped to the back of a flying Dragonair.
"… It makes me curious too, Vicious," the boss stroked his Persian's head a bit and then turned off the giant scream displaying the images. "Well, for now, let's focus on more important affairs. Vicious…"
"Way ahead of you, boss. Boomer and Slasher are already en route."
--
"Dawn is alright. She just regained consciousness."
"…good." The whole event had been broadcasted, along with Lance and Drake's return to the spot of the train-jacking for the brief second that Lance needed to instruct Lorelei of the elite four about what to do with the flame of Moltres. That had led to a close up shot of James' bloodied and bruised form. Dawn promptly fainted, especially when they closed in on the slash across his nose. Meowth and Jessie had taken it a tad better, but they were pretty distressed too. Ash noticed this easily. "…that idiot… he just had to go and play hero, did he?"
"…yeah." The young trainer sat at the same table as the purple-haired young woman, sighing heavily as he felt the tension that hanged in the air. It could be cut with a knife. "Come on, I'm sure he will be alright. Goldenrod city has the best hospital in Jotho. They said they were taking everyone there."
"…I know, but that's not what worries me." Jessie replied, her hands crossed under her chin.
"You worry about… Team Rocket?" Jessie nodded.
"James has taken direct action against the organization, and he did one hell of a job. He turned their own plan against themselves, if only making that Snorlax wild was any indication." Jessie sighed and put her forehead on the table in front of her. "The organization isn't one to take revenge, but it's clear that James is now a threat to them."
"A threat? Why?" The young trainer raised an eyebrow at that comment.
"…you know what is it that James loves more than anything else in the world? His Pokémon." Jessie crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into her seat. "He's had so few joys in his life… and so few friends. He has always treated his Pokémon as best as he could, and in return they all love him dearly, and the feeling is mutual."
"…so…"
"So… if even one of James' Pokémon got really injured… worse than the Pokémon of those other people who got smashed by that Machamp with that Earthquake attack…"
"What? He will want revenge?" Jessie shook her head.
"Not exactly… He's not that kind of guy… but I can see him going out of his way to stop Team Rocket's other initiatives from now on, if he chances upon them."
--
Three days later
"…ahh…" The light filtering through the curtains hit him like a bulldozer, hurting his still closed eyes and worsening the headache he felt. He fluttered his eyes open, opening and closing them a few times till his vision cleared. He felt the headache getting lighter. Then, he focused on what else he felt.
First thing, he was bandaged. There was a set of bandages wrapped tight around his torso, and he could feel another one sticking to his face, across his nose. There were other ones wrapped around his arms and legs too.
Second thing, there was an IV stuck in his arm. That made him uncomfortable, since he wasn't very good with needles.
Third thing, he guessed that he was in a hospital bed… but since when did hospitals have medieval-like rooms? It looked like a castle, in there… no, it was a castle.
"Ah, you woke up." That was when he noticed that he wasn't alone in the room. He shifted his eyes and he noticed the figure of a pinkish purple haired woman dressed as a doctor holding a notepad in her hands standing on the left side of his bed. "I was about to check your injuries."
"Where… where am I?" James asked, his attention focused on his strange surroundings as the woman began to undo the bandages on his legs and arms.
"I'm Dr Anna, and this is my clinic, a few kilometres from Goldenrod City. It seems like they had their hands full with the other patients, and some of them got re-routed here as a result." The woman chuckled as James groaned, remembering that he, Jessie and Meowth had been there already as well. That time they had tried to steal food, though, not Pokémon, and they had ended up lost in the castle's dungeons. "Well… since all your injuries healed nicely…"
The woman moved a hand to his face and removed the band-aid from his nose, and she traced a line with her index finger that went all across it from above his left eyebrow to his right cheek. "Except for this one. I'm sorry, but it will leave a scar."
"…can I…" She handed him a mirror before he could even ask for it. He held it above his head, and he could see that the line she had traced was the extent of his scar. He rolled his eyes. "Great. Just give me a gunblade and I'm ready to go tell people to go talk to a wall…"
"What?"
"Nothing…" He handed her back the mirror and let his head rest again as everything seemed to come back to him. The train, the fight, the rescue… Jill falling to her death. "…stupid girl… ah!" Then, he immediately remembered something else. His Pokémon were in really bad shape the last time he saw them. He got in a sitting position on his bed so fast that Anna dropped her notepad to the ground.
"Ah! W-What is it?" She said, stuttering.
"My Pokémon! Where are my Pokémon?! Ahhh!" he shouted, but it was a bad idea, judging from the sharp pain coming from his ribs.
"Please, calm down! Your injuries have almost healed, but you should take it easy on your ribs for a while!" The doctor gently leaned her hands on his shoulder and made him lean his head back on the cushion. James complied, panting for the pain and the exertion of the gesture.
"…where are my Pokémon?" He asked more softly, focusing on regaining his breath.
"They are at the Pokémon center back in Goldenrod City." She replied but James didn't relax at all. Anna noticed this and she lowered her gaze. "…your Growlithe has already recovered, but… the other ones…"
"…are they…"
"No." Anna immediately cut him off before he could even suggest something like that. "But their injuries are more severe. It's not a matter a simple night in a healing machine can solve."
"…I… I see…" Anna immediately noticed that his voice was trembling, and the action of covering his face with one hand was very enlightening.
"…I was watching the news too… You did something great. You saved a lot of people and Pokémon." She stared at how his lower lip trembled and he bit on it, trying to stop the trembling. "You should be proud of what you did… I'm sure your Pokémon are as well."
"…I got them hurt." His voice was even more trembling than before, and his voice was almost a whine now. "They're my friends… and I got them so hurt…"
"It was their choice. You don't have to blame yourself for it… you weren't the one who hurt them." The whimper and the tear falling down his left cheek were a signal that he had reached his limit. Anna pulled him close to her and softly hugged him to her, and he slowly hugger her back, tightly. "Let it all out…"
"I… I couldn't… I couldn't protect them!" He shouted, not caring about the pain in his ribs anymore, thinking about his friends' shapes, bleeding, hurt, beaten in the car of that train. He cried, not caring about wetting the woman's clothes. He just wanted to break down. Let it all out.
--
"Where's… James' room?" Erika bit her lower lip, cursing herself for not knowing James' last name. Then, she realized that they didn't know either, so he was probably registered as James as well under the clinic's reception.
It was interesting to see how Dr Anna had managed to make her clinic grow that much in so little time. Her method of using Pokémon to cure patients was original and very liked, especially by children. If at first it was just her and her assistant Keiko, now a lot more people were working there, and a lot more Pokémon.
Sabrina silently waited sitting on a nearby chair, her hands joined on top of her tights. Her mother would recognize her expression of worry, but to others she was just being 'normal' as usual.
"James? Ah, yes. Actually, he's being released right now."
"Really?!" Erika's voice rose of a couple of octaves, and that was when a door on the right opened. James was being helped to the entrance by Anna and a crutch, donning a new series of clothes, nothing like the private eye clothes that had been given to him by Eiji.
He was wearing black baggy pants with lots of pockets, a short-sleeved t-shirt of matching colour. At feet he wore red coloured boots, which matched the colour of the sleeveless survival vest he wore over the t-shirt and the hat which he wore. The outfit was completed by fingerless black gloves and a belt with a golden clip, from which hung a rope… which James quickly removed and handed to a nurse. He then turned to Erika who was busy staring. He shrugged his shoulders. "Seems like a Pokémon Ranger from Sinnoh forgot a change of clothes here. Good for me, I guess."
"Ehm… right." Erika had almost been caught staring maybe a bit more than usual, because of how fitting the black t-shirt was on James' physique. It seemed that years of working to make money for the next scheme, digging tunnels and building robots and such had helped to keep him in shape. "So… how do you feel?"
"…all in one piece… but not satisfied." The man replied, and then Erika sighed.
"Alright… important things first." The slap was strong enough to resound for a good half a minute in the hall of the hospital. "…never, ever make me worry like that again."
"…you…" James slowly moved his head to the left again, instinctively moving a hand to his now stinging left cheek. "I'm sorry, but I mean… I didn't know you cared."
"You didn't know…!" Erika gasped, and then shook her head, placing a hand on her forehead. "I can't believe anyone can be this dense…" She muttered under her breath, and made a mental note that the amount of effort she would have to put into that thing would have to be doubled. She sighed. "Nevermind. Yes, I do care. So, try to not do anything that reckless ever again… at least not alone."
"…alright." A sad smile surfaced on his face, and then noticed that Sabrina was in the room as well. It was astounding how silent that girl could be. "What about my other things?" Erika held up a sack, and James nodded in acknowledgment. "Alright… well…" James finally got out of Anna's grasp, and he bowed his head at her. Both Erika and Sabrina didn't fail to notice the blush appearing on his face. "Thanks… for comforting me, doctor."
"Ah…" It was the woman's turn to blush heavily. "It was… my pleasure, really…"
"Heh… sorry if I was a bit too rough, but…"
"It's alright. You were upset… it doesn't hurt anymore at all…"
"Still… I could have been more gentle."
"As I said, it's okay. Don't worry about it… uh?" James and Anna suddenly stopped talking when they noticed that the entire room's attention was on them, most staring at them with wide eyes and open mouths. An old man on a wheelchair was cheering James on from the end of the corridor. James coughed in his fist.
"Ehm… right. Let's go, girls. Goodbye, doctor." He hurried out of the door even while using his crutch, Erika right on his tail after recovering from the shock.
"J-James! What was that all about?! James!" The doctor sighed, realizing just how her words could have been easily misunderstood, and she could already hear Keiko teasing her about the whole matter. Then, she noticed someone had walked in front of her. Sabrina. "W-What is it?"
"How did you do it? Persuade him, I mean." Anna blushed a bit more.
"Well… I-I just hugged him to my chest… that's all." Sabrina stared at her for a few more seconds before turning tail and running after Erika and James.
--
"I swear, it was nothing, Erika! More importantly, how did you get here? On foot?"
"I gave them a hike, young man." James blinked and immediately recognized the voice that was talking to him. He raised his head from the ground, posture that he was using to cover his blush and found himself staring at sir Drake of the Hoen Elite Four. "I am happy to see you've had a speedy recovery."
"Sir Drake…" He then noticed that the ride they had used to get there must have been the elite trainer's Salamence, which was currently sitting on the ground behind him, standing proud in all his glory. "Are your Pokémon well?"
"Thanks to you, James… to you and your own Pokémon's sacrifice." Drake seemed to know about his Pokémon's status too. That only made James more and more nervous, and more anxious of getting to Goldenrod City. "I understand that it's not the best moment… But I'd like to talk with you about the situation. Things have come afoot."
"…yes, of course."
--
"…wow. There's quite a sight from up there…"
"I believe this is higher than the department store in Celadon City…" Erika commented, noticing how the sight was very different too. While in Celadon she could almost see the very essence of the nature the city was immersed in, in Goldenrod… everything was so technologic, modern. The radio tower immediately caught her attention.
"Not too high for your Salamence, though, sir Drake."
"You can drop the honorific… James." Drake replied and immediately took a sip from the can of soda he had got from the vending machine. "After you saved my life, the least you can do is call me by name."
"Ehm… thanks. Then, if I may inquire…" James thought that, whatever they were going to talk about, they were going to talk about it in a secluded place, not on the rooftop of a department store. Especially since it seemed that everyone else's attention was on their table. "I mean… why talk here? I mean, everyone knows who you are…"
"Actually… everyone knows who you are, James." The Elite Four member put much emphasis on the 'you'.
"Eh?" Drake didn't reply, instead he dove one of his hands inside of his long coat and handed James a newspaper. "A… newspaper?"
"It's the one from two days ago." The other occupants of the table observed as James looked at the newspaper's front page and proceeded to jump out of his seat and almost rip it in half as he gasped loudly. "'Ex-Rocket saves 300 lives'. The articles tell in detail everything you've done apart what happened after you left with the train, but the outcome is pretty clear."
"T-T-T-T-T-THIS…!" He was staring at a close up of his unconscious face, the scar still fresh, hair messed up… All in all, a bishounen pose of unconscious victory after an epic battle.
"We kept your current whereabouts a secret, and that's also why we shipped you off to miss Anna's clinic, instead of Goldenrod's hospital." Drake settled down his can of soda and smiled. "The point is, you're now a hero, boy. Be proud."
"…thanks for keeping my whereabouts a secret." James was sure that they were thinking that it was because of Team Rocket, but it was more about his parents. He had to get away as soon as possible from Goldenrod nonetheless.
"Of course. Now… what I wanted to talk to you about." Drake pulled out another newspaper and handed it to James. The young man took it and he almost blanked.
"L-Lorelei of the Elite Four… hospitalized?"
"It happened on the same day of the attack." Drake explained, grimly. "They sent two other people after her. Both with Pokémon of the same kind as that girl's Machamp. Ruthless, powerful… able to harm humans to a great extent. We found her in the middle of a hell of ice and blood. She put up a fierce fight, but she lost in the end. She was heavily injured, and the flame of Moltres she had been transporting back was gone."
"…they… they defeated an Elite Four?"
"That's probably why they sent two people to attack her, but still… they defeated her. That makes things worse than before. If they have that kind of power…" Drake almost crushed the soda can in his grip. "That's why me and Lance have decided that it's time to take serious action against Team Rocket. We will soon have a summit. The Elite Four of every region will meet at the Indigo Plateau. We fear that Team Rocket's actions of this kind will not end here."
"…I-I see…"
"We would like you to attend it as well, James." That positively froze James on the spot, since there was no way in hell he could get what the Elite Four could possibly want with him. "You see, James… you're something that no one has ever managed to get a hold on. You're an ex-member of Team Rocket… a still living one, that is. That means that you have information on your ex-employers that could be crucial in the near future. The Machamp you got from that woman will be studied to understand just what they're doing to their Pokémon and how, but we will need information on the organization itself too."
"…I…" James thought about it, under the pressing gaze of the other three occupants of the table, the female ones especially, who had been silent the whole time. "…Drake… I'd like to do that. What they did to those people, to my Pokémon… it's worse than anything Team Rocket has ever done, but… it's not my decision only to make."
"Oh?" James raised his head again, deciding to satisfy Drake's curiosity.
"By siding with you, I'd be actively acting against Team Rocket. They are leaving me alone for now because I'm not doing anything else against them and they still managed to get to their goal, but… if I do this, there's no turning back. I'll become a target… along with my friends." He bit his lower lip, thinking of Jessie and Meowth. "In Team Rocket we often work in teams. The other two members of mine would be in danger too the moment I open my mouth… no, the moment I declare I have the intention to do so. Before doing anything, I have to talk with them."
"Then, by all means, let us hurry to their location. I…"
"No!" James used a loud tone of voice that startled everyone on the terrace. He blushed and bowed his head in embarrassment. "I mean… sadly, I can't even accept something as simple as a passage… from you. It would make me connected to you someway, and I can't allow that…" He coughed in his right hand and stared hard at Drake's own eyes. "I have to go and meet them… the old fashioned way. Normally."
"…well…" Drake smiled, as yet again the young man in front of him gave him proof of high intelligence. "The meeting will be held in little more of a month, so… will that be enough time?" James nodded fiercely. "Good. Then, just remember to be at Indigo Plateau by the date. You'll get it from newspapers, I guess. It will be hard keeping something like that a secret."
"T-Thanks!" James bowed deeply.
"So… When do we depart?" Then proceeded to blink when he heard Erika ask that question, a smile on her face. "What? You thought you could get free of me that easily?"
"…us." Sabrina added, and James turned in her direction this time.
"…there's no use in arguing about this, is there?" The girls shook their heads as one. James groaned. "Alright, alright… well, to answer your question…" His annoyed expression immediately disappeared, leaving space to sadness. "…I… I need to… check up on someone, first…" He was becoming sad again. Sabrina saw her chance.
She immediately grabbed his head and James found himself with a face full of cleavage, much to Erika's outrage and Drake's embarrassment. "…Sabrina… what the hell?"
"…why is there no sex?" She said casually. Erika gasped even more. Drake lowered his hat over his face. James groaned. It was going to be a long trip.
--
"Wow… Grandpa, it's… it's incredible! This city is so big!" The young child kept on moving from side to side, observing everything. Everything that was new to her. Everything she laid her eyes on, much to her grandfather's happiness.
"Azalea is my hometown, but I can't help but be impressed by this city's greatness every time I come here." The little girl grinned and then basically threw herself to her grandpa's, hugging the old man around his waist.
"Thanks for bringing me along too this time, grandpa!" The old man laughed and patted his granddaughter's head.
"It was time you came along. If you really want to inherit your grandfather's business, you need to start learning about more than just how to make Pokéball out of apricorns." The girl nodded with a loud 'Hun', and then began to look around as well.
"Grandpa, while you meet with that person, can I go take a look around?! Pleasepleaseplease?!" The old man rolled his eyes.
"Maisy… the city is big…" Then she put on the sad Jigglypuff eyes, and he sighed in defeat. "Alright. You can go check out the Pokémon Center, alright? But do not get out of there on your own."
"I won't! Thanks, grandpa!" That said, the girl hurried to her selected destination.
"She's growing up fast, but it's good that she isn't losing her cheerful spirit." Kurt began to walk towards his intended destination, a nearby establishment where the person who he had to meet was waiting for him… And indeed, he found him already waiting, sitting at a table. "Ahhh… it seems it was you who came this time, Steven."
"Kurt… it's always a pleasure." The silver haired young man dressed in a suit settled down the cup of coffee he had been drinking and welcomed his guest with a smile before getting on his feet to shake his hands. "How was the trip from Azalea Town?"
"Uneventful, apart a few wild Pokémon…" Kurt shook the younger man's hand back and sat down on the other side of the table. "Can't say I'm not happy about it… did you hear what happened with the Magnet Train?"
"Yes… and then the attack on miss Lorelei… really an awful thing. I've met her personally, and I would have never wished something like that on her." Steven said, taking another sip of his coffee. "But enough of that. We are here to talk about business, aren't we? I'll never regret the day I suggested to my father we made use of your experience and skills, Kurt."
"Eheheh, yes. That, and I have a little favour to ask of you, actually, Steven." That made the young man raise an eyebrow. "Before that, of course, let's go over those projects for new Pokéball you mentioned."
"Of course. You see, in the region of Sinnoh…"
--
"… Chimecho…"
"Groowl…" Growlie nuzzled James' side with his head, trying to cheer his owner up. As doctor Anna had said, the fire type had been the only who recovered in a short times. The others were going to need much more. Chimecho had been the one brutalized the most by Machamp's attacks. The little Pokémon was almost completely covered in bandages as he laid on his back in the inside of a glass cube.
"…how could I have let something like this happen to you three?" Erika and Sabrina had decided to wait outside the intensive care unit. All three of his Pokémon were in the same room. Carnivine other than injuries was suffering from a heavy case of poisoning. It seemed that whatever treatment that Crobat had undergone, it had powered the viciousness of his poison too, and yet he was the better off of the three.
Mister Mime had lost a lot of blood because of the multiple cuts caused by the flying type's Sky Attack, and some were too deep. He would need time to heal his muscles. All in all, they couldn't get out of there before a month.
And yet, something he didn't understand. He was crying by now, and asking for forgiveness, but Chimecho, like Mister Mime and Carnivine before him, just turned to him and smiled. They were happy to see him alive and safe, and that only furthered his ire. He was supposed to take care of them. He had betrayed their trust and got them hurt. Why were they that happy to see him?
"…and even worse… I'd really like to stay, wait for you to heal… I don't want to leave your side, but… I have no choice." He got up from his kneeled position, his head still low. "I can't… I can't let what happened to you happen to any other Pokémon… but I need to warn Jessie and Meowth, first. I need to go back to them… so…" James sniffled and rubbed away his tears. "I guess… I'll see you later. I-I'll tell Eiji to come and take you if you get better before I can come back, alright?" They just smiled and then drifted off to sleep. "So… until later, guys."
"Grooowl…" Growlithe was also sad, and stayed behind in the room for a while, as the other Pokémon weakly muttered one last sentence that the fire type understood clearly. His eyes became set and determined again, and he barked his approval and he swore: he would protect their master for all of them. He would never let him get hurt again. After one last bark, he ran after James, who was now in the hall giving the resident nurse Joy the details of Eiji and Motoko's contacts.
"Alright. When one of your Pokémon recovers I will call this number to check your availability. I assure you that your Pokémon are in good hands." The pink haired nurse smiled at him, and James nodded.
"I know they are." He bowed his head and then started to walk towards Erika and Sabrina, who knew better than to ask him about his Pokémon. It was better if they asked him about something else.
"So… what now, James?" Erika asked, and James just crossed his arms.
"Well… my plan is the same… and if you really wanna hang out with me, I guess it's yours as well." The violet haired man sweatdropped. "I'm going to Olivine city to catch a boat to Sinnoh."
"…then, we'll have to go north to Ecruteak City and from there then head west. It will take a week," Sabrina immediately gave out all the information the two of them needed, and James nodded.
"Yeah… also, I heard that Ecruteak City's Gym Leader uses Ghost Pokémon. You could ask him for some pointers in training your Haunter, Sabrina." Erika said, adding her two cents to the conversation. James made a mental note of that information and then nodded in acknowledgment.
"Then, onwards we go. To Ecruteak… oh!" That was when a brown haired girl rushed into him.
"Ah! I'm sorry! I wasn't looking… oh, no!" The girl had dropped something from her satchel, a Pokéball. James' eyes immediately got caught to it, noticing how it was pretty different from every other Pokéball he had ever seen, and yet it felt familiar.
The top instead of being red, was yellow, and there was an incision right above the big white button that it shared with the other. Two letters in the shape of a 'G' and a 'S'. He instinctively picked it up to hand it back to the little girl. "It's alright. And… I think you dropped this."
"Oh, thanks!" James smiled and handed the little girl the ball… that was when his right middle finger accidentally pushed the white button of the ball. A flash of white light filled the room and the familiar 'clack' of an opening Pokéball resounded in the air.
To be continued…
In the next chapter…
A chance meeting lands James with new acquaintances, a new Pokémon, a new story and new mysteries as these lead them to something long buried and forgotten… right under Goldenrod City! Stay tuned!
