Silently Broken
Chapter Ten
A Trail of Bloodied Feet
An excruciating side ache grew rapidly as Jay pumped his arms wildly in the air.
He had fled down a steep grassy hill while the Team Rocket grunts chased him in pursuit, and managed to dodge branches near his face, avoiding some possible scrapes during the unforgiving chase. All the continuous booming uproar of hollers and feet smashing against the earth caused wild Pokémon to flee to their sanctuaries instantly. They watched closely as Jay ran past them in their dark hideaways, and soon the agents afterwards.
Jay worked desperately to stay on the routes he knew would get him back to Esther's house, though being hunted down with armed weapons and Pokémon ready for battle made it difficult to accomplish with an unclouded mind. All the trainer's protection consisted of was brute strength, quick thinking, and his loyal companions. However with the advantages Jay managed to carry, it didn't make the fact that his enemies owned loaded guns any more comforting.
But it did make his mind work faster.
The constant repetition of running a great distance, then stopping to catch his breath and the decision of which path to take next, was his overall tactic. Fortunately, Jay had always been a fairly decent runner, giving the grunts a run for their money- or more like a run for their prized Pokémon. Even with his natural gift, Jay still wished he had been more careful in deciding which Pokémon to take with him on the hunt for Jubilee.
His first choice, Dragonite, was asleep back at the cottage. At the time, Jay was looking out for the welfare of his dragon, giving his wings a rest after travelling such a great distance the day before. And then there was Vaporeon. He too had grown quite tired after he frolicked around with Vulpix the entire early afternoon, and unlike Vulpix, he wasn't exactly a ball full of energy.
So Jay was left with only three other options (considering Vulpix was off leading the captured Pokémon to safer grounds): Rapidash, Kangaskhan, and Blastoise. Now, Jay had trained Rapidash enough for the horse to obtain a fairly decent speed record, but to imagine his flames possibly starting a forest fire during a full-on battle...
It would definitely call some unwanted attention.
As for Kangaskhan, well... The great beast wasn't what one would call the ideal Pokémon to train. Due to poachers, she had always been a weary and stubborn creature to train the moment Jay's grandfather presened her to him when he was a boy. Mordecai had saved the Pokémon's life after her mother had been killed, and took the orphaned baby in. He and Esther were off on another grand adventure, and seeing they were nowhere close to a Pokémon sanctuary, Mordecai offered the endangered beast up to Jay, knowing his grandson only needed one more Pokémon to complete his team.
And as appreciative as Jay was and knowing his grandfather did it out of the goodness of his heart, it didn't change the fact that Kangaskhan had a mind of her own, nor did Jay's rare gift at handling Pokémon help much either. His Kangaskhan was a breed of her own, and through many trials and errors, the pair had become closer; however, it still wasn't enough for Jay to feel secure with the fact that the Pokémon would listen to him.
So then, he was left with no other option but Blastoise. And as strong as his faithful turtle was, he could only imagine what strong, impeccable Pokémon Giovanni had stashed away in those pokeballs for his recruits.
He would use Blastoise when he had to, but as for right then and there, running was his only choice.
As Jay journeyed on through the untamed greenery, he felt his footing shift out of place, wobbling and skidding across uneven terrain; slick mud spots or formed grassy holes in the ground caught up with Jay one way or another, yet even with the feeling of a pinched nerve in his back by a sudden slip or a twist of his ankles, he kept going. He kept running. His prime motivation was to see Ash again, and getting away from the encroaching shuffles of feet and screams.
Eventually however, those earth-made precarious accidents aided the efforts of Team Rocket. The men cloaked in black uniforms were soon on Jay's tail with high speeds, like a pack of starving Mightyena after a fresh pound of Swablu. This only furthered Jay to push himself all the more, feeling the increase of his leg muscles ache and the continuous heartthrob he acquired along the rigged run. If he dared to slow down, the agents could catch up with him just enough to pull the trigger, and if he stayed on a clear path with no obstacles, their aim might enhance too.
Immediately, Jay took a painstaking turn into some nearby bramble. He rammed straight through sticky bushes and low thorny branches, dodging through the thick brush, one blow after another. The man was positive that this would decrease his chances of being shot or simply captured, and hoped Team Rocket would decline from venturing forth in such untamed parts.
He thought wrong.
The grunts might not have been as witty as their target, but they were pumped with adrenaline and drive. They pushed their way through the natural barriers, fighting off sticker thorns, and small wild Pokémon running between their legs. The blood spots pouring from their faces and constant trips over vines only brought upon more anger than anything, and their wails of frustration were apparent to Jay.
He smirked to himself, thinking that he had done them in with just that. However, as he propelled his body through the last rough bush, he brought himself to an immediate halt.
A dead end.
His eyes were locked with the insane predicament crashing below him. His clever strategizing turned out not to be as tactful as he thought, for his feet were barely standing on the edge of a small tattered cliff, looming down into a gushing storm of pounding waves.
He had travelled too far off the forest's edge and now to a river, the main source of all the little streams Ash was so entranced with on their first walk through the woods.
The panic he had kept at bay during the entire manhunt was beginning to rear its ugly head at Jay. He swallowed hard as he watched the water glide speedily, and the distance separating the river and the peer irked him a bit.
The grunts were breaking down the path Jay created with furious voices, while striking the earth, tearing apart one thorny vine after another. Time was running out.
Jay couldn't just stand there and let himself be willingly captured, not after all the jogging and the scrapes and bruises and with Vulpix waiting for him, and Ash… Jay's only alternative was to jump. The narrow peer and its crashing waves below weren't an ideal escape route- or at least a safe one. But he had no choice. Either take his chances at life with the merciless liquid or possibly be shot to death at the hands of a crime organization.
He took the Pokémon infested water.
With one final gulp, Jay inhaled a deep breath and plunged head first into the unknown riverbed, hoping by his calculations he'd miss the sharp rocks sticking out of the watery grave. In mere seconds, he collided with the cold crystal blue water in one explosive splash, already coming face to face with a small group of brainless majikarp. The red fish swam around the man with fright, their constant bubbles that flew from their mouths clouding the only portion of the river floor Jay could see. He batted them away in furry, till he was hit with another flowing rush.
The current that raged along the river floor swooped with great endurance, and soon sucked Jay up in a harsh wave of revenge. He felt himself nearly choke as he struggled to hold his breath, kicking the invisible forces that restrained his feet. Then, swimming with one arm, he reached frantically towards his strapped pokebelt, his fingers fidgeting with the balls till he found the exact one he wished to call upon.
Finally, Blastoise was going to fulfill his function in all this madness.
He clung firmly to the 'ball as it opened up with a bright light, revealing the massive Blastoise before his master's eyes. From there, Jay's fingers instantly hooked around the base of an eroded slippery stone that was plunged into the riverbed, hanging on tightly as he waited for enough time to elapse to dive for air supply. Blastoise froze once he was aware of his surroundings, perplexed by his trainer's current state till Jay pointed upward, motioning for him to rise to the surface.
Still puzzled by Jay's orders, Blastoise did so anyway, and as his head emerged slightly out of the fast paced stream, his small ears picked up the sound of trouble approaching quickly. Then, shadows came. Blastoise plunged back into the water, looking to his master for another explanation, but all Jay could do was motion for him to wait till the coast was clear. Let him know when the grunts had taken leave. And Jay did so by giving wild hand motions against the powerful liquid, which the strong brute surprisingly comprehended. Next to Vulpix, Blastoise was one of Jay's most trusted allies, in that the Pokémon and trainer's communication skills were far superior compared to some of his other teammates. Plus the troubled tone Blastoise picked up from the unknown forces made him watchful all the more of these mysterious characters.
So he did as Jay ordered, and waited. His eyes looking up towards the top, feeling the sun and seeing the shadows cast dramatically against the reflection of the bounding water.
But the grunts were persistent. Hesitantly persistent.
Basking in the glorious spurts of sunlight between cracks of leafy branches, the agents stopped at the edge of the short, but rocky cliff, examining the flowing water below. Their eyes moved back and forth wildly as they scanned the area high and low. They couldn't see Jay, they couldn't find one piece of evidence that would lead them to believe he- except the river. The river left a daunting pit in their stomachs, and really made them ponder over the possibility of the trainer taking such a bold chance.
And by the looks of it, that's where he'd wound up.
Growing in both impatience and hysteria from the cuts they regrettably earned, one of the grunts suddenly burst: "Where the hell did he go?!"
Another one continued to scout the lower grounds, his hand cuffed over his eyes to shield the bright rays above. "Ah, shit! Do ya guys see him?!"
Then, a third one answered. "No- no there's no way he survived that dive," he stated, appearing almost unnerved by the crashing waves and pointy rocks. There was a chunk of land on the opposite side of the water, however, the agent found it nearly impossible for Jay to have swum that far without getting caught up in a current. "Look at the water, it's moving so rapidly!"
"His head probably hit one of 'em rocks!" another agent hypothesized. He was also intimidated by the deadly formations. "He's gotta be dead."
The last one of the bunch finally took a turn at speaking, feeling extremely rattled that they failed to catch Jay. And what to do about it. "Then w-what do we do? Should we go retrieve his b-body-"
"I sure in hell ain't goin' down there!" the first grunt exclaimed cowardly with a huff. "Let's just uh- bend the truth a little to the boss. Say we watched his head split open or somethin'."
"He ain't gonna buy it," the agent with the strongest concerns on a proper solution admitted. "You saw how pissed off he was-"
"Well if you're so worried, why don't you climb down that cliff, huh?!"
A confrontation between them was the last thing they needed.
The head recruit of the party intervened between the coward and brash agents with the force of his hands. He placed his glove-covered fingers on their chests and scooted them back from one another, eyeballing each one with sternness.
"Hey, hey, hey! Cool it!" he ordered sharply, having the more aggressive member growl and the shaky one cringe. The grunt in charge assumed the worst in regards to Jay's "jump," and felt there was no need to continue searching. That, and he was resistant to climbing down that rocky cliff in order to truly discover a body or not.
"Let's just head back to base, and tell the boss he threw himself over a cliff," he suggested plainly. It wasn't a total lie, nor was it inaccurate. The grunts had presumed Jay did launch his body over the edge, and seeing what rested below... "That should suffice the guy, right?"
The member on the sidelines of the squabbles folded his arms and snorted. "I'd hope so. I've never seen the boss so mad before in my life. Usually he'd shrug off these simple raids we've been pullin' if they failed, but somethin' about that trainer sure has made him more aggravated than usual..."
It was no use dwelling over though. The head of the group motioned for his fellow agent to stop his pointless pondering as he meandered back to the wretched brush, and made a halfhearted assumption to get them moving.
"The guy probably just reminded him about his warped childhood," the grunt insisted, pushing aside a large piece of shrub for them to go through. "Let's just head back. Maybe the others found the Pokémon..."
And with that, they left.
Still submersed in the cool water, Jay's lips were near their breaking point, tempted to let the water drown his lungs. He wondered endlessly when Team Rocket would finally disappear between struggling to hold his breath, and soon, the birth of bubbles diminished his skepticism.
"Blastoise..."
At long last, the turtle's gurgling coo led Jay to fly his head up towards the top, breathing in the fresh air with dramatic pants. His eyesight was blurry momentarily as the sun's glimmers shined directly in his pupils, causing him to look down, trying to regain his vision without going blind. After staying afloat successfully and collecting his bearings, Jay sputtered out frequent coughs and began to stroke his arms through the water. In one gigantic burst, Blastoise rose to the top, his stomach being hit by the waves as he laid for Jay to climb aboard. However, in the midst of Blastoise's journey to the sun, his trainer was sprinkled with a shower of large water droplets thanks to his weight, giving Jay's head another heavy soaking. The man simply shrugged it off, and mounted the top of his trusty gigantic turtle, letting his body collapse against the creature's smooth, polished shell in exhaustion.
He was immediately hit with a throbbing pain in his skull, and the crisp cool water brought numbness to every part of his body, even between his clothed toes. The shiver he acquired was one he could not control; it was strong and lingered with a vengeance, holding onto his frigid frame without restraint. Mustering enough strength, the man managed to rise up and sit atop Blastoise's shell, huddled in his drenched clothes. He hoped magically the sun's bright rays would lick up the full drips of water that made him rattle, though they were taking a fair amount of time to do so.
Knowing his master was settled, Blastoise swooshed his short but sturdy limbs and moved along the river with swiftness and ease. The grunts had vanished, and they were on their way back to the cottage. Back to a place in which Jay wished with all his might would be safe.
And Giovanni would never find.
But as Blastoise fought against the current gracefully, Jay realized the river's splashes weren't as cold as he thought.
Something far stronger was bringing a shiver to his spine.
"You think they'll show up?"
An Azalea Town police officer swiveled his head over at his partner. "Don't know."
Early evening was beginning to set in, and having to lean against their car for a few hours, waiting for some apparent neighborhood punks to show up and destroy someone's property, was a very daunting task they wished Jenney hadn't sent them on. The criminal activity in Azalea was minimal, and what it did consist of was the average local teen bike gang looking to cause havoc for helpless elderly neighbors. It wasn't anything new to the male cops, but still, their work would be deemed boring compared to the officers fighting crime in Saffron or Goldenrod City, where the population was far greater.
"For once I hope they do," the first officer admitted, taking a slurp out of his now empty soda can. "Our day would be a total waste if they don't. And this blazin' sun is killing me as it already is!"
His partner huffed and folded his arms. "You can say that again." Then he snorted as he gazed once again at the previous damage that had been done to a few close-knitted houses. Picket fences had obvious tattered boards, graffiti written on them, and the typical form of harassment known as "teepeeing" still hung on a few parts of the homes. "Sheesh," he spat and shook his head. "I never would have thought a couple of neighborhood kids on bikes would be such trouble."
The other one sighed, checking his cellphone for any more thrilling updates from fellow officers. There was nothing to report. "Yeah well, that's what you get with today's youth."
The man's partner surveyed their surroundings one more time, and glimpsed up at the sun. "You wanna call it a day?"
The officer shrugged. "Might as well. Beats waiting around here for nothin'."
The pair turned on their heels and ventured towards the front doors of their blue and white car, thankful to be retiring after an excruciating day of boredom.
Or so they thought.
The officer who deemed himself to be the designated driver for the ride back to the station wasn't through grumbling about the troublemakers on the street. However, he was cut short before letting his mouth get the best of him. "Those punks probably knew we were- hey, what was that?!"
An abrupt crash and tumbling afterwards erupted out of nowhere, and soon the sounds of chattering and crying grew from behind their car. The men instantly rushed around the side of the vehicle and stared wildly at the display before them. A large cluster of Pokémon, all fighting their way out of some bushes on the very edge of the forest, fell before them, and panted heavily in exhaustion.
"Huh?! Pokémon?!" one of the men exclaimed, scratching his head.
"Where in the world did they come from? Jeez, there's so many of them!"
The officers gawked in disbelief with a few glances exchanged with one another. It was addling to see so many different kinds of Pokémon popping up out of nowhere, all together at once, with hardly a reasonable explanation. Some of the kinds of Pokémon were not from the local area, nor were some easy for a trainer to get his or her hands on. However, there was one obvious indicator. The creatures haunting attribute of rib cages showing forth and tired eyes did manage to make one of the policemen have a relapse back to the morning paper. And what the front article was all about.
"H-hey!" one of the man's fingers wagged unsteadily with a stunned expression. "Don't they look like the ones in the papers?! There was just an article about a stolen Scizor-"
"This has gotta be them," his fellow co-worker finished. He then flashed serious eyes at his comrade, and motioned towards the car. "Call Jenny for backup at the station and tell them the news. Tell them to bring down Nurse Joy so these critters can be checked out, get the station to assemble some groups, and spread out the search parties in this area."
"Right!"
"If we move fast enough we can catch these bastards."
Finally, the Azalea Town police officers had something other than a petty crime to deal with.
The cold water dripping heavily off Jay's sweat-streaked face didn't ease any of the clamminess or tension.
After running like a maniac through the forest and dense golden field, Jay hurriedly ventured into Esther's silent cottage and rung his soiled clothes out over her back banister, and then took a quick dip in the shower before anyone discovered his mud-ridden complexion. The amounts of water squeezed out of the clothing were thick and plentiful, and the shiver Jay acquired from the unpleasant splash began ceasing by the sun's powerful rays.
Once he let the fabric lay out to dry and cleaned his dirty, bruised, and scathed skin, Jay sneakily stuffed the half-dried evidence into one of his empty bags, not wanting suspicions to arise through exposure in the laundry basket. He was still shaky with a lack of composure, his mind raced with a million different unsettling thoughts as he cleaned his wounds to the best of his ability.
What had just happened? Had Jay really run that great of a distance? Had he really thrown himself into a fast paced stream to escape his chasers? Were his chasers really recruits of the once thought dead organization Team Rocket? And was Giovanni truly a living, breathing- He stopped thinking at that point, frozen stiff as he gazed at his disheveled reflection in the fogged bathroom mirror, his midnight bangs resting sloppily over his stunned icy eyes. It was all too unbelievable to grasp.
Why me?
Jay wanted to cry. He bit back the tears in an unbearable struggle, and let his head dip down, as if already waiting to be vanquished.
Where to begin? He didn't want to go back to the forest, that was a given, though the strong fret over Vulpix and Jubilee's safe return only added to many other nerves infiltrating his mind. He was at first confident that Vulpix would be able to lead the stolen Pokémon near the flourishing part of town where they would be secure, but after seeing how agile and persistence those grunts were on him… And to think about what Giovanni might already have dreamed up... He couldn't think about that. He couldn't panic. In the meantime, he had to convince himself that Giovanni would never have any recollection of his identity. Jay had to stay as unperturbed as possible, even though it looked like an unlikely goal to achieve. It was his only mechanism for not losing his marbles.
After throwing on a clean t-shirt and dark denim jeans with a bathroom towel dangling around his neck for drying, Jay strolled into the kitchen and glanced out the patio door. No sign of the fox and overgrown mouse. He tossed his eyes away as he fought his worries, hoping to fix on something else while he waited for their return. And Jay hoped to God they'd make it back before Esther and Ash did. There would be a lot of explaining he wasn't up for, nor really cared to fill them in on. Not when the circumstances were so serious, possibly life threatening...
With the house silent and still as ever, a continuous beam of a blinking red light was the only thing that distracted Jay. Someone had left a message on his nana's phone. He lowered his eyebrows curiously and wandered over to the contraption, seeing the announcement of "one message" pop up, following through with the name that had left the memo.
A surge suddenly struck Jay in the heart as he read "Samuel Oak" across the dim screen, and without hesitation or valid reason, he pressed the play button. Jay allowed the speakers to be blasted with Oak's words, listening to the relay as he took the large bathroom towel to his wet hair. The seriousness in Samuel's voice brought more worry to Jay, and the irony of it all made him sick. He couldn't believe his ears. There it was: Prof. Oak's warning about some mysterious Pokémon thieves running rampant all across Johto, and Jay just had to miss the call. He didn't blame anyone for not being there to pick up the phone. He didn't even blame himself for it, seeing as there was no way to avoid the circumstances he was previously under. But it still angered his core.
Once the old message was craftily erased, Jay drummed up enough courage to punch in Sam's number, and broadcast the horrifying discovery to the professor. Sam Oak was the one person he could turn to in this gigantic overwhelming mess. The one person he had fled to eight years ago in a twice as dire of an incident...
He stood anxiously, his eyes constantly darting over his shoulder, watching the patio door as if it was to slide open by an unwelcomed presence. Jay gulped as he turned his head away, and let a loaded huff out of his nostrils. It was on the second to last ring, when finally a voice came over the contraption.
"Hello?"
"Professor, it's me." Jay's breath was thick; the strength he had left kept him composed. "I got your message." He felt his hands shake uncontrollably.
The older man almost seemed alarmed, but he tried to restrain himself from getting too excited. So, he allowed his body to perform a rapid walk across the lab den, instead of flapping his mouth hysterically. "Jayce, is everything all right down there?"
Jay breathed out a sigh. "Not exactly. I uh-" He pinched his temple, his eyes closed and his forehead wrinkled. How was he going to put this delicately? Jay let another sigh out again, pausing with a hideous taste in his mouth. "I ran into the poachers."
Prof. Oak fell quiet. He slumped onto the sofa and leaned back in his seat with a shocked expression. He was beyond stunned that his fears had been born. His throat was dry as he tried to regain the ability to speak. "Tell...Tell me you and Ash are okay-"
"Ash is fine, he's with my nana. But I-" This time, a gulp slid down Jay's throat – a heavy one, and his eyes bounced around uneasily. His head was pounding. "I don't know about me."
The professor frowned. "What are you saying, Jayce?"
"Sam look- the poachers are Team Rocket." Spitting the truth out almost felt painful, and by hearing the faint crackling of static over the phone alone, it did not give Jay an indicator on how Sam was exactly handling the matter. Still, he continued as calmly as he could.
"I was out in the Ilex forest trying to find my nana's Raichu, and ended up finding their secret hideout. They stole over thirty Pokémon, Sam." Jay made certain to stress that part. "Plus, they had her Raichu. It was beyond terrible... Th-they were shoved in unsanitary pens, some looked sick- They're just as bad as they've always had been..."
Always had been.
Even Sam Oak had once believed Team Rocket was finally put to rest. After seeing Jay's pale skin, his shaky eyes, his dazed expression, and continual rambles over the horrifying events soon after they occurred, there wasn't a doubt in the professor's mind that Jay was telling the truth. How could he not believe? The moment Jay flashed that shimmering rainbow colored feather in front of Sam's eyes he thought he'd about faint. It was a rare find indeed, and even rarer occurrence as to how it fell in the young trainer's possession. And yet in some odd way, it all made sense.
It was one of the strangest and most epic stories he had been told. Especially by the result of Team Rocket's fall...and unexpected revival.
Obviously Sam wasn't the only one befuddled and stupefied by this recent update. He felt his breath get caught in his throat, and his head spun with tremendous force. Listening to all the vivid details of the disaster at headquarters, and then climbing up to Mt. Hideaway with Jay to see the aftermath of the destruction, he was just as flabbergasted as his student. It was nearly impossible to deny Jay's claims, and now Sam found him in the same position again, eight years later.
The older man felt his stomach turn. "Holy Ho-Oh- Did... Did they see you?"
Jay huffed. A question he hated to answer. "Regrettably, yes. I got all the Pokémon free and by the time we were making our escape I- I saw him, Sam. He's alive. He's alive and he knows I am too. He may not remember me now, but he will. I'm afraid he's going to- no- I know... If he remembers who I am, where I live- he might-"
Sam knew who Jay was referring to. He himself had never shared an encounter with the mastermind, Giovanni, but had heard plenty from Jay. He was nasty, manipulative, and obsessive—the male replica of Madame Boss. Although, his motives were a tad different than what his mother desired to gain.
As much as they both wished for ultimate power, Madame Boss always had a bizarre compulsion to have money in her possession. And she'd use Pokémon to get just that. But Giovanni... Money wasn't always his primary focus. He was much more on the lines of wanting to conquer the cliché dream of world domination, ruling all regions across Earth, holding all creatures under his control, even the legendary Pokémon. He'd end anyone's life who stood in the way of his goals…
And both Sam and Jay were well aware of what Giovanni was capable of.
A wave of interference flew through Sam. "No, don't go there! You need to stay calm! Now," he started again, more collectively, "are you safe?"
Jay shot another gaze out the patio glass door. "For right now, yes."
"Are you hurt?"
"Nothing severe."
"Where are the Pokémon?"
"I um-" He could feel the pressure build up in his head again. "I don't know. I distracted the agents while Vulpix led the Pokémon away to an opening we found earlier close to the road. It's near a high population of the town. She's supposed to meet me back here with my nana's Raichu, but I haven't seen her-"
"Stay put. If you go back out there..." The possibilities were endless. And not of the good kind. Prof. Oak was very aware of the devotion and love the trainer shared with his loyal fox, however the older man didn't think calling out for her in the wide open field was worth being clobbered to death by a bunch of thugs.
Sam's pause was short as he tried to redirect his thinking. "Vulpix will find her way. She's been through those woods more than once. And that Raichu is bound to know the territory."
Prof. Oak's reassurance was enough to become plausible, but it wasn't enough to stop Jay's eyes from dancing over to the clear glass door again. "Yes but ... But I- I just can't stand here and let them possibly get captured-"
"You must." This time, Sam was much sterner, much more definite in his order. "For your own safety."
This only led to Jay snorting. "I think my safety has been diminished sometime back in the forest when Giovanni looked me square in the eye..."
Jay's nail-biting fears and thoughts of threatening stakes were legitimate and understandable, however Prof. Oak didn't find it healthy for the trainer to let panic take over rationality. Becoming frantic and petrified of his situation would do no good for the man's mind frame. Although it was beyond difficult to repress such urgent feelings.
The professor inhaled a deep breath, and produced a more stern tone. "Well, this isn't the time for that. The important thing is, is that you're safe, and that the Pokémon are too. I would highly suggest coming back home as soon as possible. The police might catch Team Rocket before they find you, but my main concern now is Ash's safety."
Ash's safety. That above all was what was bothering Jay the most.
He had thanked God a hundred times over that Ash journeyed off with Esther during that late afternoon; yet, that didn't mean his son was completely out of evil's reach... Jay's most bone-chilling apprehension was that what would come to Jay, what would possibly become of him, would eventually hit Ash and Delia.
And that part scared him the most.
At the moment, the trainer tried not to ponder too long over it, allowing a quick shiver to pass, but nothing more. "I know..." he sighed, letting his eyes trail off to the side. "I haven't stopped thinking about him. I'm just relieved he wasn't with me..."
Then, his eyes were entranced with something other than the floor. A beam of sudden light glowed from inside Esther's living room, and soon cast shadows on the carpet of the gathering area, and a little onto the tile flooring of the kitchen. Jay's eyes widened as he saw the presences sweep into the house swiftly, and his voice immediately dropped.
They were coming into the kitchen.
"I've gotta go, Professor," he whispered hurriedly. "Nana and Ash are back."
Sam wrinkled his forehead. Whether Esther and Ash arrived back at the cottage or not, the professor wasn't through getting a few more details across to Jay. "But Jayce, hold on a minute-"
Jay's mind was made up.
"I'm sorry, bye."
The phone clunked softly as it was placed back in its original spot, and instantly Jay shifted his head up to the entryway. There stood Esther and Ash with armfuls of grocery bags, and Jay could feel the intensity of his heart pounding all the more. They looked surprised by the man's early arrival, especially Esther.
"Oh Jayce," she started after a few blinks, "you're home. Did you?-"
Esther didn't finish her question. Instead, she assumed her grandson was aware of her inquiry, and while he was, he still had difficulty mustering an answer. Vulpix and Jubilee weren't back yet as hoped, leaving Jay to dream up a quick lie. He was struggling to communicate the appropriate response.
He adjusted his dry throat. "Nana, I-"
"Oh my stars! Jubilee, you're home!"
Jay's blue eyes popped open as his aging grandmother scurried past him with cries of joy, aggressively tearing the patio door open and falling to her knees. He turned his upper body slightly to spot Vulpix and Jubilee behind the glass. Their gazes appeared pleasant and content, a little tired, but overall happy to be home. Jay felt a surge of relief take over his body at the sight of the Pokémon.
They came just in the nick of time.
As he continued to stare at their mysterious intrusion with puzzlement, Vulpix shot her master a subtle nod. He blinked back at her in confusion, and within seconds he caught on. Jay was no interpreter of the intricate language of Pokémon, however he had mastered somewhat of stable communication between his longtime companions. The nod she had given him meant one thing. The stolen Pokémon were now somewhere safe. Jay was positive of this, and with a faint nod he returned her efforts with a thank you. And by Vulpix's disheveled coat and exhausted eyes, the trainer knew he'd have to properly finish off his thanks with a vigorous belly rub and a thorough combing of her tangled fur.
That was a given.
As Esther continued to bathe her loyal mouse with pets and coos, and Jubilee returned her warm gestures with the motion of nuzzling, Jay stood back, wrestling with how to approach the matter if any more questions were to be asked. He could clearly see how much solace he had brought his grandmother, and how the electrifying mouse mattered so much to her. The Raichu had become what Vulpix was to Jay. A friend that would always stand by its master, and Jay could tell through his nana's rapturous expression and watery eyes how grateful she was to him for bringing Jubilee back into her arms safe and sound.
Her tears were beyond genuine.
Esther let a sniffle slip out, and she dabbed her dry eyes once her crying eased. "How did you find her?" she soon inquired as she shot her head up, still massaging the mouse with gentle hands. "Was she in the woods?"
"Uh- yeah."
That wasn't lying. Technically, Jubilee had been located in the Ilex Forest during his second search, though the circumstances in which he found the mouse were to be left unknown to his nana's ears.
Revealing as little information as possible seemed to be the wisest option in Jay's opinion. All that mattered right then and there was that Jubilee was back in Esther's care. And that the stolen Pokémon were out of Team Rocket's filthy hands.
Luckily for Jay's sake, Esther did not pursue on with any more inquiries, but instead began to take notice of her pet's state of health. "Oh, you poor thing you must be starved!" She examined the slight feel of the mouse's spine, and immediately noticed the lazy eyes Jubilee bared. Clearly, she was deprived of nourishment. Taking charge, Esther kindly directed her great-grandson to do a small favor, while she went on comforting her lost friend.
"Ash darling, run to the utility closet and fetch a big helping of pokechow out of the bag. The bag should be opened, dear, and the closet is just around the corner!"
Ash nodded without argument and raced to the farthest end of the room. If there was any a time in which a Pokémon needed help, the boy was more than eager to participate. He soon looked around the dim corner for a moment, spotting a cabinet full of cleaning supplies, and a mop sloppily lying against it. Then he turned around to finally see a faded blue closet.
"Right here, Nana?" he asked, leaning his head a little to gaze back at the open glass door.
Esther flew her head back at him to take a look herself and nodded. "Yes, dear! And thank you."
The old woman threw her gaze up at Jay, and steadily she rose back to her feet with his assistance. She smiled softly with appreciative eyes as the closet door squeaked opened loudly, and then the sound of Ash picking up Raichu's food bowl, and plunging his tiny hands into the enormous pokechow bag.
She was more than thankful for Jay, and everything he had done to get Jubilee back home. More than she could ever express and would be forever indebted to.
Esther's eyes shook again happily as more droplets of water formed in her fading blue eyes. She couldn't resist those blissful tears from slipping out as she looked upon her brave and triumphed grandson. "From the bottom of my heart, thank you Jayce!" Her tired arms suddenly wrapped around his neck as she allowed her face to fall on his shoulder. Jay was stunned, feeling mixed emotions as he patted her back gently in return. "I don't know how to repay you for going to all this trouble..."
He almost wanted to smirk at that.
I don't know how you could either, Nana...
Giovanni's blood pressure spiked as he heard the basecamp's door creak open slowly, practically reeking of pathetic excuses waiting to spill out.
He had been anticipating his recruits' return in bitter silence for over an hour with the company of his pet Persian, and could only imagine what news they had to tell. Soon, two groups of tried agents entered into the corridors, and by the appearance of their stark white faces and fidgeting mouth movements, the update was not the ideal report Giovanni had been looking forward to.
With sharp narrowed eyes, the crime boss looked over his shoulder and beckoned for his agents to come closer with a brooding question following afterwards. Or more like demand. "Well, where is he? Don't tell me you idiots lost him-"
"He used his Pokémon to get away, boss! Then when we about had him cornered, he threw himself into a raging stream!" the most nervous one out of the bunch piped up. His hair was sticking up on the back of his neck, anticipating the rage that was about to come. "The guy's a goner! He didn't resurface, I swear-"
"You really believe a silly pool of water could kill such a man?" Giovanni sneered at that, and raised his half-filled wine glass from the mahogany desk behind him. With a gentle motion, he swished the alcoholic beverage around, and scoffed to himself as his anger built.
"I'm sure he's very alive, out of the Ilex Forest by now... Unlike how you unfortunate simpletons will be-" He cast a death glare in the failures' as he took one step toward them. The grunts jumped back in unison, loud gulping sounds mixing with their boss's footsteps. But then, the criminal paused, as if he had a change in heart, and let one final dismissal leap from his throat.
"I suggest you leave my presence unless you are wishing for your life to be brought to an end in these very quarters, because that can certainly be arranged-"
In a flash the door clicked shut. The failed grunts had vanished.
With a disgusted sneer, Giovanni presented a growl in the direction of the other group of terrorized agents, chattering their teeth together like some kids locked up in a haunted mansion. After seeing their leader's reaction to their fellow equals, their previous thoughts about what Giovanni might say seemed minimal to what was about to come.
"And you!" Giovanni snarled, his big towering frame looming over his recruits with an intimidating shadow to boot. "Where are the Pokémon?!"
Their eyes maneuvered around hastily. They didn't want to meet Giovanni's black cold intense eyes, nor endure the hissing his Persian brought along. The dark walls seemed to be the most comforting to look at, though they knew if they kept beating around the push it would only lead to further discomfort.
"Um- ya s-se-ee- we uh..."
Giovanni bit down hard on his tongue, their stutters and mumbles intensified his ongoing migraine. No longer able to withstand their stammering and restrict his anger, the man gritted his teeth savagely at the stiff agents, and placed a couple of cracks in his wine glass thanks to his firm grip. His temper was eating at him.
"Arrgh!" Giovanni bellowed, flashing his teeth at them in rage. "Can't I count on you imbeciles to complete one measly task?!"
The sudden shattering of the filled glass produced sharp shards to fly across the air, landing near the grunts feet as if the blow had originally been intended for them. Persian yowled at its owner's outrage, and hunkered low as it fled from the broken remains, then let a hiss slip from its mouth.
Giovanni's fist was a clenched bloody mess, the red wine and blood mingling together as it hit the base's floor, one heaping drop after another. No one dared to say anything, no one budged a single muscle. The agent's leader was beyond displeased with their efforts, more than he could verbally or physically express. They had spent some long aggravating weeks determining which Pokémon Centers to hit and researching about trading conventions, and festivals, and-
Keeping their trail as untraceable as possible. For the most part, Giovanni and his grunts had done a swell job at leaving the police stumped with little advancement in any of the cases, but for them to allow some random trainer to waltz in and destroy all their hard work... Giovanni wasn't prepared for that. If anyone was going to catch them red-handed, he presumed it would be the fault of one of his recruits, accidentally tripping up and leaving clues behind at the crime scene, or talking smack about their jobs right out in the open for civilians to hear.
Not some punk amateur trainer, miraculously finding their secret hideout on a quaint jaunt. A trainer who probably had less experience than him in battling, a trainer with less Pokémon- a trainer who was much younger.
A trainer who physically fit the description of the face who brought Giovanni's world crashing down around him.
Team Rocket had clearly bitten off more than they could chew.
The petrified agents watched their boss's muscular shoulders rise up and down, till the deep breaths appeared to lessen the tension in his body. He eventually turned back to his desk, and snatched up a rag that had been sitting there, letting the cloth drink up the remains of pouring blood.
"I guess this is what I get for hiring rejects from other organizations..." he grumbled to himself, draping the cloth around his fresh wound securely.
All the grunts stayed silent, till the head of the party spoke up. He out of all the men in the room wanted to fully explain the situation whether Giovanni was willing to hear it or not. The guy was just too stubborn to be yelled without a chance of being heard out. "Boss, ya don't understand!" The abrupt voice made Giovanni's nerves bundle, yet he remained quiet with his back still facing them for his own sake. "That trainer and those Pokémon split! Took different paths and everything! We searched the entire perimeter and only found-"
"And only found what?!"
He couldn't take it anymore.
The once headstrong grunt now fell into the category of a weakling as he let a great gulp glide down his throat. His eyes were wide and blank. "The fuzz."
It was worse than he thought.
A trainer seeing them was one thing, but now the police were on their tail? They were bound to be found in no time, and even if they were supplied with weapons to fight the cops off-
Giovanni didn't want a massacre started. If they killed any one of those officers, they'd be hunted down for sure. No. The best decision he could think of was to escape while they could. Get all the grunts strapped up in their helicopters and head home to headquarters. No one would get handcuffed, and at the very least they could raid some centers in Kanto...
If Team Rocket wanted to steal another day, they had no option but to run away. Even if Giovanni despised that solution.
His pearly white teeth were clenched together again, and the pain his palm acquired from the glass puncture burned with a greater sting as he forced his fingernails towards the cloth. Another lash out was in the making. "You're telling me, that little sneaky conniving bastard now has the police searching for us?! Do you understand what this means?! We have no choice but to retreat! All our plans have been foiled because you blasted morons couldn't sufficiently fulfill your basic duties!"
Persian's lungs released another perturbed cry as it watched its master unsteadily, ears back. The screech led Giovanni to swivel over at the large cream colored cat, and then back at his lame grunts, who were busy shielding their faces with their arms and whimpering like a bunch of four year olds.
Giovanni huffed at their pitiful blubbering, and gazed down at the wooden floor panels. As tempted as he was to explode and let each and every stupid grunt have what they deserved, he couldn't allow himself to do so. Time was running thin, and beating up every single grunt would be a total waste once the Azalea Town officers arrived. He'd deliver a punishment for their losses sometime soon. As humanely as a criminal mastermind could.
After taking a deep breath, Giovanni shot his head back up at his agents. Their lives would be spared for another day. "I don't have time for this," he finally hissed, and yet his voice was calm (or at least for his standards) and direct. "We must evacuate immediately. Prepare the helicopters. It's time to say goodbye to Azalea Town."
They all blinked in amazement as he walked towards his desk for his belongings, then shared looks of befuddlement with each other. They were going to leave? Just like that? The agents were certain their leader would have wanted them to take the risk of journeying back into the forest for the Pokémon they stole so perfectly- and for the underestimated trainer.
In a matter of minutes, some grunts left the building to complete their requested duties, while others stood still. One in particular had the gall to bring up the runaway trainer again.
"But sir uh- what about the trainer?"
Giovanni slammed his briefcase shut, and threw an unreadable gaze. "He's none of your concern now."
And the grunts left it at that.
Giovanni couldn't count of them. Even if they did have the tendencies of mindless fools, they usually were fast and strong enough to take down one trainer.
One.
Just one man ruined everything Team Rocket worked for those past few weeks. All by himself. Now more than ever, Giovanni was obsessed with uncovering exactly who this man was by any means necessary. There was too much strangeness to it all to let the little incident pass up. Any other given day if he couldn't catch the nuisance, he'd shrug it off and carry on. But not this time. This man reminded him too much of something he wished he could forget. Reminded him too well of a young man he was determined to despise.
It all was a hunch, but it was strong one, and Giovanni would not rest till they were finally even. Once and for all. If this was the very same man who unhinged his and his mother's plans eight years ago, and finished her off in one blazing burst of-
Then he'd make him pay.
One way or another, I will hunt you down! I'll find out who you really are... And I'll take every precious little thing that mattered to you... Like you did my mother.
"You should have been there Dad, this Arcanine was ginormous!"
Hearing Ash trying to master the usage of such a large word usually made Jay slip out a faint smile. However, his glum expression stayed the same.
"It was sooo cool! Some kids at school said Arcanine is scary 'cause it's sooo big, but I wasn't afraid! It was real nice."
Jay listened willingly to his son as he gabbed about his day out in town, brushing some stubborn burrs out of Vulpix's coat. Ash's voice, however, could not prevent his father from being consumed with the image of Giovanni's face haunting his very core. Even when he tried shutting his eyes, he could still see him. Staring. So ghastly at him. Like he had seen a ghost too. It was a feeling Jay thought would never resurface. A face he would never see in passing...
It was a real hardship. His struggles had only begun, and yet, he felt already an impending doom. Jay felt alone. Scared. He knew what Giovanni was capable of. He knew how rotten Madame Boss was, and how her predecessor would rise up with a more vicious bite. Sam's reassuring words weren't working their magic, and Jay fought his extreme worries and nightmares diligently that entire afternoon and into the late evening, hiding any subtle expression of concern in his voice or eyes. He didn't want to frighten neither Ash nor Esther. He didn't want Ash to know anything about it. Period.
Jubilee was back, nestled warmly in her bed with the kind company of her owner, and that's all that mattered. Jay found her, for his nana. No details were needed. Esther seemed too engrossed with happiness to bother asking about all the information, and that part at least made Jay somewhat settled.
Still, he couldn't help but gaze out the patio door or window from time to time. There simply laid the swaying overgrown grass and soft chirps from Pokémon bugs in the distance. No gun shots, no hollers from raging men, and no dark eerie shadows lurking about the property.
But he stayed on guard anyway.
Without obviously showing his anticipation of trouble, Jay kept his ears wide open for any strange noises, and continuously looked out the guest bedroom window as he prepared for the night ahead. All he could ponder over besides his frets was the temptation to leave Azalea for Pallet. To run away while he still could before-
And then, he looked at Ash. Sweet, carefree Ash.
Jay's number one duty as a dad had been to keep his son out of harm's way. And he thought he had always done that, without a doubt. But this problem- it was much bigger than preventing Ash from falling off his bike, or being pecked at by a wild Spearow, or not allowing Gary's impactful words get the best of the child...
"The trainer even let me and Nana pet it, and its fur was really soft!" Ash explained enthusiastically. "It licked me right on the cheek!" The boy's little index finger led to the exact spot on his cheek, and continued to showcase that moment of his day with emphasis. "Like right here! Its slobber went everywhere, and!-"
Jay broke down. Ash swiftly ended his gross vivid details, and lowered his eyebrows with sincere confusion. "Daddy?" he cooed. He stepped towards his quietly weeping father, and pressed a gentle touch of his hand on the man's strong shoulder. "What's wrong? Wh-why are you crying?"
What's wrong? Oh, if only he could tell his son!
The man gazed up at him briefly, and smiled to himself.
Ash was fortunate to be a child. Jay didn't wish for his boy's innocence to be stripped away at the hands of someone who need not lay a finger on him. To lose that cheerful smile and bright eyes with a thirst for adventure at such a young vulnerable age... Jay wanted him to be naïve for as long as his son could possibly be. Ash wasn't ready to be introduced to the cruel functions of the world. The strange happenings and those who let darkness take over light. And Jay wasn't prepared to show them to the boy either.
This untimely and unpredictable battle was solely Jay's. It was his battle, and he preferred it to stay that way. Ash was not to be involved. Delia was not to be involved. Even if things weren't going to escalate, had Giovanni decided to leave him alone in peace, Jay still preferred the option of not sharing a single detail to his family. To imagine Delia living day by day in such sorrowful concern and terror was something Jay wasn't going to put his wife through. Wouldn't put Ash through.
He'd rather be left in the dark, all by his lonesome than to bring his family tumbling down with him in the deepest pit of eternal darkness. To suffer in silence, and to know Ash was far, far away from those horrible monsters when it all happened... And that he was able to look his boy in the eye again.
That was the truly the positive result that came about from his day.
Jay's lips soon blossomed into a full smile as he looked back at his son, allowing the shed water droplets to glimmer on his cheeks as his thumb slid across Ash's. "Sorry kiddo," he chortled softly, shaking off his fears while he was permitted to. "I'm just- so happy you're safe... here... with me."