ACO, Part 10: Dawn's Light
RECAP: Julia/Jesse has shown her true colors! After a decisive battle with Misty, Team Rocket has finally captured Pikachu. Brock and Ash find an unconscious Misty, and wonder what happened . . .
'Why did I allow this situation to get so out of control,' Jesse thought to herself. She, James, and Meowth were sitting in a secluded cabin deep in the Viridian Forest. The trio was hiding out there until the morning, when they would present Pikachu to their boss, Giovanni. 'James and Meowth look so happy. If only they knew what I was going through. I shouldn't let my mood ruin their celebration.' She sighed and once again turned her attention back to her companions.
"Da Boss is going to be so happy," Meowth was saying. "Finally, I'm going to be top cat again! I can't wait for my moment of triumph tomorrow morning!" He stood up and headed towards the bedrooms. "If ya need me, I'll be in here asleep." Then, he was gone.
"Jesse," James said after Meowth left the room, "what's the matter? I'd think that you'd be happy that we finally succeeded in capturing Pikachu." He frowned when she didn't say anything. "Jesse, did you hear what I said?"
"Yes, James, I heard you. Nothing's wrong, I'm fine," she replied softly. "The Boss will be glad that we finally did something right. Maybe we'll even get that vacation we deserve and . . ."
"Jesse, don't lie to me," James said, cutting her off. "I know you better than that. What's bothering you?" He paused to think for a couple of minutes. "It's that boy, Brock, isn't it," he asked, glancing down at the ring on her left hand. "I knew this was getting serious when I saw the ring that he gave you."
Jesse blushed and hid her hand behind her back. "Yeah, I guess I do feel a little guilty for what I did to him. I'm not heartless," she replied. "I mean, he did love me, after all."
"And you loved him," James stated. He smirked at the shocked look Jesse gave him. He took note that she was visibly shaking all over. "And you probably still do love him, don't you?"
"Oh James," Jesse cried, bursting into tears. It hurt him to see her cry, so James wrapped his arms around her and began to rock her back and forth. They sat together like that until her tears and sobs subsided. "Thank you," she said, pulling away from him. "I haven't cried this much since I was a baby. This past week and a half has been one horrible experience."
"It's ok, Jesse," he assured her. "Now, tell me what you're thinking. What's on your mind."
"I never wanted to hurt him, James. I never wanted to hurt any of them," she began in a choked voice. "I had to sit there and listen to Misty tell the story of how I had betrayed all of them."
~ Flashback ~
"Misty, you're awake," Ash exclaimed. "You really had us worried."
"Where's Starmie? Is he ok," she asked, sitting up quickly.
"Starmie is fine," Ash replied. "I gave him a super potion. Once we get him to a Pokemon Center, he should be back to perfect health again."
"Misty, what on earth happened," Brock asked. "Where's Julia and Pikachu?" Misty looked down at the ground, but didn't say anything. "Misty, why don't you answer my question," he demanded. "What happened?"
"Well, Brock," Misty began, "before I tell you anything, I think it might be best that you sit down."
"Damn it, don't sugarcoat it, Misty," Brock yelled.
"Hey! Get a grip, man. Don't yell at Misty like that," Ash said, getting in Brock's face.
"Back off, Ash," he replied, pushing his friend. "I love Julia. So don't you dare tell me to get a grip! My love for her is just as strong as your friendship with Pikachu, if not stronger."
Ash balled up his fist, but Misty stepped between the two of them. "Stop it, both of you," she screamed. "You want the truth? Well I've got the truth for you, Brock," she began. "Julia fooled all of us. She's really Jesse, as in Team Rocket's Jesse. She tried to get away with Pikachu, and I caught her in the act. So we battled, and her Jolteon beat up Starmie. And then, to top that off, she drugged me so that she could escape." She stopped and took a deep breath. "She did that because she knew the two of you would stop to help me out."
Brock stepped back from Misty as if she had punched him. "Y-you're lying," he stammered. "Julia is sweet and innocent and nothing at all like Jesse! She would never in a million years do what you're saying she did."
"I'm afraid it's no lie," Misty replied sadly. "None of us knew Julia, or whatever her name is, that well. We didn't know what she was capable of." She placed a hand on Brock's shoulder, but he shrugged it off. "Brock, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way."
He walked away from his friends and sat down on a stump, then lowered his head into his hands. "I should have known," he said. "Who in their right mind would love someone like me? I shouldn't have been so stupid and gullible. Why was I so blind?" A solitary tear rolled down his face, but he wiped it away angrily. "Our relationship took off and bloomed so suddenly. I should have seen the truth."
~ End Flashback ~
"And I had to sit there and listen to them talk about me. Every single word of it," Jesse finished. She rested her head on James' shoulder. "The look of betrayal I saw on Brock's face is tearing me apart."
"And none of them saw you," James asked.
"No, because I was hiding behind some bushes," she replied with a sigh.
"Tell me one thing," James said. "Why is this eating you up? It was just another mission, like any other. How is it any different?"
"How is it different? Do you mean besides the fact that I fell in love with our target," she asked. "There are several reasons, I suppose. However, the main reason that this is getting to me is because Brock made me feel loved and appreciated, and I broke his heart. Only one other man has made me feel the way Brock has made me feel," she finished, looking up at James.
"And he ended up breaking your heart. I really messed up when I did that," James said, brushing away a tear that trailed down Jesse's cheek. "I don't even remember why I let you go. That excuse we used about not being able to be both lovers and partners was lame. I'm so sorry for doing that to you."
She smiled and shook her head sadly. "I didn't think that I'd ever be able to feel love like that again for anyone else besides you," she stated. "But then I got to know Brock. He's similar to you. Both of you are handsome, charming, and witty. Maybe that's why I fell so hard for him. I saw so much of you in him."
"Oh, I knew you'd be able to fall in love again. You're too strong to let anything prevent you from achieving what you want," James replied. "To be honest, I was really jealous of your relationship with Brock. It brought back so many memories of us. And it drove me insane to think of what was going on between the two of you. That's why I pushed for you to hurry along the mission. I wanted us to be together again." He paused and stood to pace around the room. "But I don't want you to hurt inside. I think that in order for you to be at peace, you need to find a way to reconcile with Brock."
"But how? He'll never forgive me for what I've done to him," Jesse replied.
James chuckled and shook his head. "Well, take us, for example," he began. "We had a falling out, and now look at us. I betrayed you in the same way you feel you betrayed Brock, and we're friends even today."
"All I can see is the look of betrayal in his face," she said.
"Was there a look of betrayal in his eyes," James asked. Jesse looked at him in confusion. "You're not sure, are you? You won't know how he truly feels until you talk to him, Jesse, and look into his eyes." He walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead. "Good night, Jesse. You'll figure out something, and whatever you decide on will be the right thing for you to do."
"Good night, and thanks for listening to me, James," she said as he left the room. "You always were a great listener." She walked over to the container that held Pikachu and watched the sleeping pokemon for what seemed like hours. She then walked over to the desk, which was in the room, and opened up one of the drawers. She pulled out a gold necklace, and then took the ring that Brock gave her off of her finger and slipped it onto the necklace. After she put the necklace around her neck, she took out a piece of paper and began to write.
"Ash, do you think that Brock is going to be alright," Misty whispered. "I've never seen him like this before!"
"I'm not sure, Misty," he replied. The two looked over at Brock. He was asleep, and had his back turned to them. "That Julia, or whatever she wants to call herself, makes me so mad. How can she just take another human being's feelings and just step all over them like that?"
"I don't know. I hate to think of something like that ever happening to me," she said with a shudder. "Where do you think they took Pikachu anyway? I hope that he's alright."
"As rotten as Jesse is, I don't think that she would allow anything to happen to Pikachu," Ash began. "She really grew fond of him."
"What? Are you serious, Ash," Misty asked incredulously. "Team Rocket has been after Pikachu since the beginning of your journey. You can't be serious."
"When it comes to the welfare of my pokemon, I never joke," Ash retorted. "And you know that, Misty."
"Don't you condescend me, Ash Ketchum," Misty yelled.
"You do it to me all the time! What's the difference," Ash demanded.
"The difference is that whenever we fought before, we weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, and your remarks didn't hurt as much," she replied in almost a whisper.
"Oh Misty," he began, wrapping his arms around her, "I didn't . . ."
"No, Ash, don't apologize," she said, cutting him off. "I care about Pikachu just as much as you do, but do you really believe that Jesse won't hurt him?"
"I do, Misty," he answered. "Pikachu trusted her too much for me to believe otherwise."
"Ok, Ash," she began. "I won't give you a hard time anymore. The most important thing is that we find Pikachu."
"Yeah, and we will find him," Ash replied. The two sat beside the fire, and continued to talk into the night.
~ Back at the Team Rocket cabin ~
Jesse reread the letter that she wrote. 'Well, this is what I have to do,' she thought to herself. 'It's the right thing to do.' She had sat at the desk for hours, and when she looked out the window, the sky was purple. 'I must have stayed up all night writing this thing. It's almost sunrise.' She walked over to Pikachu's container and picked it up. "Well, buddy," she whispered to the pokemon, "it's time to take you back where you belong." She walked out the door and closed it silently behind her. As she walked through the forest, she continued to talk to Pikachu. "I hope you don't hate me, Pikachu. I know you trusted me, and I'm so sorry for doing this to you and your friends. I never really had the heart to capture you in the first place. James and I think it would be easier to just capture a wild Pikachu, but Meowth insists that we capture you, instead. You must really be special. But I knew that already."
"Jesse," a voice came from behind her. She spun around and saw her partner. "Jesse, wait for me," James said.
"James, don't try to stop me," she began.
"No, I'm not going to try to stop you. I'm here simply to support you. I'm hurt, Jess. What was the last thing I said to you," James asked.
Jesse smiled a little. "You told me to do whatever I thought was the right thing," she said.
"That's exactly what I told you," he said. "I'm just along for the ride, I guess."
She smiled her thanks at James. "Well, this is as good a place as any to let you go," she told Pikachu, holding the container at arms length. "But when I let you out of there, please don't shock me." She set Pikachu down on the ground, unclasped the hooks on the container, and pulled the lid off. Pikachu ran several inches away from Jesse and James, and stood facing them with his cheeks crackling with electricity. He studied them, and then relaxed a bit and just stood in front of the duo. "Pikachu, I want you to go back," Jesse said in relief. "Go find Ash and his friends." She reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. She then unclasped the necklace around her neck and placed it into the envelope and sealed it. "Pikachu, would you give this to Brock for me," she asked the pokemon. "I would really appreciate it." She crouched down and extended the envelope towards him.
"Chu (Ok)," Pikachu agreed, stepping carefully towards Jesse and the envelope. Pikachu took the envelope, and held it by one of the ends in his mouth.
"Thank you, Pikachu," Jesse said gratefully. "Now go. Go back to where you belong." She watched as Pikachu ran away from her. She smiled a bit, and turned back to James. "Well, I think we should get back to the cabin," she told him.
"Yes, Meowth won't be too happy when he discovers Pikachu missing," he replied. He draped an arm around Jesse's shoulder, and she wrapped one of her arms around his waist. "You did the right thing, Jess," he told her as they began walking back towards the cabin. "Now all we have to do is think of something to tell Meowth and the Boss."
"But James," she began. "The Boss will . . ."
"We're in this together, Jesse," he interrupted. "You won't face the consequences without me."
"Wake up everyone," Ash said as the sun began to rise. "We've got to go find . . ."
"PIKACHU (ASH)," came a faint yell.
"Pikachu," Ash said, looking around frantically. "Pikachu, where are you?" He looked around and spotted his pokemon running towards him. He took off running towards him. When Ash reached his pokemon, he opened his arms, and Pikachu jumped into them. "Pikachu, I was so worried," he exclaimed. "Are you ok?" Pikachu nodded his head in response. "What's this," Ash asked as he took the envelope from Pikachu's mouth.
"Pika pikachu. Pikachu, chu (It's for Brock. Jesse asked me to give it to him)," he said. Just then, Misty and Brock joined Ash.
"This is for you, Brock," Ash said, extending the envelope towards the other boy. "Pikachu," he said, turning his attention back towards his pokemon, "tell us what happened."
To Be Concluded . . .