What Am I?

by Angelicdemonichybrid

Jen has always wanted to be a Pokemon trainer, but her mother has forbidden her from choosing a Pokemon for unknown reasons. This is not the same for her older sister, who like countless other children, left home with her Pokemon at age 10. Jen is now 18 and anxious to explore the world, but what she may discover just might make her question what she really is.

34. Nimbasa City

Sometime later at night
Red and Jen landed on Libby's balcony and began knocking on her sliding, glass door. Libby appeared from her bedroom with her Whimsicott and Poochyena following her and opened the door for them with a huge smile on her face.
"You guys are finally here!" She cheered, pulling them both into a hug. "Ash, I didn't know that you would be coming as well…wait."
Red smiled at her awkwardly as she studied him a little more closely. His face was still slightly bruised from the beating he had received from the grunts back at the Tree.
"You're not Ash."
"Libby, you remember Rory, right? Our cousin and Ash's brother." Jen asked.
Libby's eyes widened with fright. "G-Ghost! Ghost!" She shrieked loudly.
Whimsicott and Poochyena jumped in front of Libby and stood in a defensive stance. "Leave Libby alone! It's not nice to scare her!"
Red and Jen flinched at the volume in her voice and glanced over their shoulders to see pedestrians from eight stories below looking up in confusion. Libby was being way too loud. Panicking, they shoved Libby and her Pokemon back into her apartment and shut the door.
"Libby," Jen said as she grabbed her sister's shoulders, forcing her to focus on Jen only, "you need to calm down. Rory is not a ghost. He is very much alive."
Libby seemed to calm down a little bit, but not very much. She glanced at Red, who smiled at her, and then back at Jen. "But…he died. I saw his grave. How-"
Jen grabbed her sister's shoulders again. "Lib, chill out. Red is alive, and that is all you need to know. Okay?"
Libby nodded slowly and frowned. "But—What's wrong with his face?"
"We just need a place to stay for a little while. Is that alright with you?" Jen asked.
Poochyena sniffed her bag and growled. "You're hiding something in there. What is in the bag? And why are you wearing that uniform?"
Jen had completely forgotten that she was still in the Team Rocket's uniform.
Vulpix and Rattata poked their heads out of Jen's bag and stared at Poochyena. "Leave our trainer alone, bub." Rattata snapped.
Poochyena flinched, but resumed his defensive stance. "That doesn't explain why you are dressed as a Rocket member."
"Yeah…sure." Libby still stared at Red numbly.
"Black, I was at Mount Silver the whole entire time. There was some accident that happened to my Pokemon and me awhile back and, I guess since I didn't return to town, everyone thought I was dead." Red lied.
"Oh!" Libby exclaimed. "That would explain why you're still alive. Phew! You two had me scared there for a moment."
"Nice one, Red."
Libby then pointed to the Rocket uniform. "But…what's up with the scumbag team's uniform? You didn't join them…did you? And why does Red look like he's been in a brawl with a Machop?"
Jen shook her head. "The uniform, we stole it from Team Rocket when they kidnapped our Pokemon, and Red got into a fight with some of them."
Libby frowned and cocked her head to the side, not quite understanding. "Why did you take the uniform when all you guys needed were your Pokemon?"
"We needed to get into their base somehow." Jen replied. "But back to the main topic, is it alright if we stay here for a little while? I promise we will be gone before you know it."
"Yeah. You two can take the guest bedroom and my room. I'll sleep out on the couch." Libby said.
Jen flinched. "Oh, you don't have to do that, Libby. I'll sleep on the couch." She protested. "I insist!"
Libby chuckled. "Well, since you insisted."
Mew stirred within Jen's bag.
"Jen, Mew is waking up." Vulpix stated as she and Rattata hopped out of her bag.
"Who?" Whimsicott asked.
"A friend of ours. She's nice, but she is not doing so good." Vulpix answered.
"Do you need us to help you take care of Mew?" Whimsicott asked.
"No. Jen can hear us, and she'll know what to do. Right, Jen?" Haunter asked.
Jen shot him a smile and turned back to Libby. "Hey, Lib, do you have any PokeChow for my Pokemon? I think they're pretty hungry."
Libby's Pokemon froze and gawked at Jen.
"Yes, I do. Hang on a sec." Libby left to retrieve some PokeChow, while Jen lifted Mew out of her bag.
"What are you doing, Jen? If Libby sees Mew-"
"Relax, Red. I'm taking her to the guest bedroom. We'll need to sneak some food to her." Jen explained to Red as she slipped into the guest bedroom. She walked over to the bed as quietly as she could and placed Mew down on one of the pillows.
"Will she be alright?" Vulpix asked. She and Rattata had walked in behind Jen and jumped onto the bed.
"I'm sure she will be fine after a good nights rest." Jen replied, reassuring both her Pokemon and herself. Who knew what Team Rocket had done to Mew?
"Jen? Where'd you go?" Libby asked from the other room.
"Uh…I'm in the guest bedroom, Lib. We're coming." She raced to the bedroom closet and grabbed some of the blankets from the top shelf before opening the door. "Come on, Vulpix and Rattata."
Her Pokemon reluctantly obeyed and walked back into the living room. Libby placed some bowls filled with PokeChow in front of Jen's Pokemon and smiled.
"Do you guys need anything else?" Libby asked as she picked up her Whimsicott. "The first aid kit is under the desk, Red."
"Thanks, Black." Red signed. "Have a good night."
Libby nodded drowsily and began moving back to her bedroom. "Just make yourselves at home. There's food in the pantry and fridge, and the couch folds out…goodnight!"
"Night, Libby!" Jen called after her as Libby shut her bedroom door. Her Poochyena stayed in the living room, still staring in astonishment at Jen.
Red summoned some of his Pokemon (he wasn't able to fit them all in Libby's small apartment) and began pouring PokeChow for them. "You hungry?" He asked Jen as he grabbed a bag of chips and the first aid kit.
Jen drifted over to the pantry and grabbed a pack of cinnamon Pop-Tarts. "Do any of you guys want anything else?"
Both Red's Pokemon and her Pokemon shook their heads. The PokeChow was filling enough for them.
"We should also grab something for Mew. She might be awake." Red suggested as he applied some medicine to his bruises.
Jen nodded and grabbed some strawberries and poffins from Libby's fridge, and walked back into the guest bedroom. Mew hadn't moved an inch.
"Mew?" Jen said softly as she walked farther into the room.
Red and the others walked in behind her. "I've got some potions and heals if you think they would help."
"Umm…" That was really all Jen could say. She had no clue what to do. "Mewtwo, we could use your help right now. We're worried about Mew."
The teens heard the window open and turned to see Mewtwo gliding into the bedroom. He looked at Mew and then at Red and Jen. "She'll be alright. It will be awhile before she wakes up, though."
The worried group let out a sigh of relief.
"That's good to hear." Vulpix said happily.
"Are you alright? Where did you go after we left Team Rocket's headquarters?" Jen asked Mewtwo.
"I followed you here and stayed outside."
"Oh." Jen held the plate of food up to Mewtwo and smiled. "You hungry?"
"No." He replied bluntly before flying back out the window. Jen and Red ran to the window to try and find him, but he was long gone.
"Does he seem…mad to you?" Jen asked uncomfortably.
"Who knows what Team Rocket did to him? I think he may want to leave Unova as soon as possible." Red stated.
"That would make sense. We should probably leave now anyway. Let me say goodbye to Libby and we can head out to another region."
"Wait a sec. Can't we stay for one night or something? I'm tired." Rattata asked.
"Our master wants to leave, and when she says we're going to do something, we obey." Haunter said sternly.
"Master?" Rattata scowled in confusion. "Why does he call you master, trainer girl?"
"We're trying to get him to stop calling me that. I want him to call me by my name, Jen."
"And her name is not trainer girl. Don't call her that." Vulpix ordered.
"Okie-dokie, but can we please stay for the night? This is the first time I've ever stayed inside a human's home…and so far it's pretty cool."
Red and Jen exchanged looks. "Your call, Jen. When are we going to leave?"
"It would be better if we left now, but…" She glanced at Mew. "We can leave once Mew wakes up, kay? Besides, a good nights sleep indoors may do us some good. Especially you, Red."
Red and the others reluctantly agreed.
Jen led her Pokemon back into the living room and set up the foldout bed.
"Alright you guys, go ahead and go to sleep. I'm gonna go change."
Her Pokemon obeyed, while Jen ran to the bathroom. She caught a glance of her reflection in the mirror and grimaced at the Team Rocket uniform. She quickly stripped out of the uniform and tossed it in the trash.
"Much better." She smiled as she put her old clothes back on.
She walked out of the bathroom and found all three of her Pokemon fast asleep. Jen quietly made her way over to them and crawled under the covers, but she couldn't get comfortable. She rolled over on both sides, but she just could not fall asleep.
Something was bugging her.
Jen climbed to her feet, threw her hat and hoodie on, and walked out onto the balcony. The air felt cool and crisp, and the sky was alight with bright colors from the amusement park. Jen climbed up onto the ledge and looked out towards the city. She looked back at her Pokemon and grinned.
They looked so peaceful. She wanted to take them with her to find a more comfortable place to sleep, but they looked content where they were now.
She turned back to the open air and leapt off the balcony. The wind rushed through her hair as she took to the skies, disappearing into the dark of the night. She only stopped when she reached the clouds that hovered over Nimbasa City. The sight of the illuminated city was breathtaking, but not as extraordinary as the one at the Tree of Beginning.
"I wish we could go back to the Tree." She thought glumly.
Her pocket suddenly began to ring. She pulled Red's phone out of her pocket and answered it without checking the caller I.D.. She immediately wished that she had. "Hello?"
"Jen? It's me…Kenji. Please don't hang up! I can explain why I was at the Team Rocket headquarters.
Jen grimaced. "Out of all the times he decided to try and call me. Why is it when I'm trying to forget him?" She sighed. "I should hang up right now. You could be tracking me for all I know."
"No, no, Jen. I promise I'm not. I am not with Team Rocket. I despise them all." He sounded sincere, but how could Jen tell?
"How can I possibly trust you, Kenji?"
There was silence on the other end as Kenji tried to gather his thoughts.
"I'm going to hang up now." Jen threatened.
"Wait! Let's talk face to face. Just…you and me, okay? I'll explain everything."
"I don't know." She thought for a moment. "Where are you?"
"I'm somewhere in the desert that's in between Castelia City and Nimbasa City."
"Is he following me?!" Jen thought angrily. "Are you following me?!"
"I saw you and your cousin leave the city and head in the direction of Nimbasa City, and I tried to catch up, but-"
"Well stop!" Jen growled.
There was silence on the other end.
"How soon can you get to Nimbasa City?" Jen said after awhile.
"Not very long." He said calmly.
"I'll meet you at the Ferris Wheel." She said icily. "I suggest you get here before morning, because the second the sun comes up, my cousin and I are gone."
"Alright. I'll make it. Thank you, Jen." He said before hanging up.
She looked at the phone and sighed. "Don't make me regret this, Kenji." She replaced the phone in her pocket and dive-bombed into the city.
Being careful not to be seen, she landed on top of the Ferris Wheel and watched as locals and trainers ran from ride to ride, booth to booth. They all looked like they were having so much fun.
"I can see why Libby wanted to live here. Nimbasa City just says Libby."
The Ferris Wheel slowly began to move, bringing Jen towards the ground. She leapt off of the basket and drifted down behind a few booths. She peeked out from behind a ring toss booth to see if her decent had attracted anyone's attention, but no one had seemed to notice.
"I left Libby's place to look for a better place to sleep, but now I'm waiting for that lying jerkface." Jen growled to herself. "Why did I tell him where I was?"
She walked out from behind the booth and joined the crowds of teens and anxious children.
"I guess I could kill sometime by having fun. Mew and the others might get mad if they found out I'm doing this without them, but we can always come back later when Team Rocket leaves us alone…right?"
She looked around at all the different rides and booths. Each one looked just as fun as the next. "Which one should I try first? A ride…or a booth?"
The group of teens that she was following ran over to one of the coasters and got in line. She joined them and had to wait only a couple minutes before it was her turn to be buckled down into one of the neon cars.
"This is my first time on a ride like this. What's it like?" Jen asked the teens beside and in front of her.
"It's a roller coaster. It's fast and fun like any other roller coaster." One of the teens replied.
"Is this really your first time on a coaster?"
Jen nodded. Again, her mom never really let her go out anywhere.
The train lurched forward and slowly ascended up the tracks.
"Just make sure you put your arms up at the top and keep them up as we go down. Kay?" One of the teens said as he put his hands up in the air.
Jen and the others followed suit as the train reached the peak.
"Here we go!"
Jen felt her stomach tighten as the coaster flew down the tracks. It felt as if she was flying, but thanks to the bar that rested across her lap, she didn't feel as free as she did when she was soaring through the air. It was still fun thought.
The roller coaster continued to dive and soar across the tracks. Her stomach continued to rise and fall in her throat as the coaster raced over the metallic hills. Jen gripped the bars as tightly as she could as she felt her butt fly off the seat. The teens screamed in excitement, and Jen joined in their squeals of joy. The train eventually came to a stop back at the line of waiting teens and children, and Jen and the others got out.
"So what did you think of the ride?" One of the teens asked.
"I liked it." Jen smiled. "I just wish my friends could be here with me. Mew and Mewtwo would like some of the rides here too." She then scanned the dark sky and frowned. "Where did Mewtwo go off to anyway? Does he want to be alone?"
"Hey, you want to go on some other rides with us?" Some of the teens asked.
Jen looked down at them and grinned. "Sorry, but I'm waiting on someone. I just rode the roller coaster to kill some time. Thanks for the offer though."
The teens nodded and raced off to see what else the amusement park had to offer. Jen, on the other hand, walked back through the booths and watched as a young man hurled a ball at three stacked milk bottles. All three of the bottles tumbled to the ground and the boy hooted with pride.
"Your prize, sir." The booth attendant said as he handed the boy an oversized Munna plushy.
The boy turned around and smiled at Jen. "For you, sweetie."
Jen flinched as the boy began to hand her the prize. She slowly began to reach out for the plushy when another pair of hands snatched the Munna plushy away.
"Thanks, honey!" A young teen girl chirped as she hugged the boy. "I love it so much!"
Feeling completely embarrassed for almost ruining the couple's moment, Jen quickly left the booth. She walked a little farther before feeling the vibrations of Red's phone in her pocket.
"Oh, God. Not now." She groaned as she took the phone out of her pocket. She checked the caller I.D. this time and saw that it was Libby calling. "Libby?"

"Libby, are you alright?"
"Red can't talk so we're talking for him." Pikachu responded. Jen could hear the smile in his voice. "He's wondering where you went off to and why you took his phone."
"Oops…right. I forgot to give him his phone back earlier, but I don't have my phone."
"Red says, 'Oh poor, pitiful, phoneless Jen. Whatever will she do without her phone?' What? I'm just translating what you're saying to the others."
Jen rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'll return your phone to you as soon as I can, Red. In fact, if I didn't already promise to wait on someone, I'd be returning to Libby's now."
"He's asking about who you're waiting for, and why you left in the first place."
"I couldn't fall asleep so I decided to look for a better place to stay…then I got a call from someone I don't want to talk about, and now I'm waiting for them."
"Who is this person? Do we know them?" Haunter asked. "How do we know that they are not working for Team Rocket, master? You could be in danger."
"Don't worry, Haunter. I won't be in any danger." Jen said reassuringly.
"Do you want us to come and wait with you?" It was Vulpix this time.
"Sure. You guys can come, but I think I'll need to talk to him alone. Okay? You guys can have fun on the rides and stuff." Jen replied.
"Wait…are you at the amusement park thing that we passed earlier?" Vulpix squeaked.
"Oh no. She's gonna flip." Jen thought. "Umm…yeah."
"WHY THE HECK DIDN'T YOU WAKE US UP AND TAKE US WITH YOU?!" She shrieked.
Jen had to hold the phone away from her ear as Vulpix vented. "Sorry, Vulpix." She chuckled.
"Why are you laughing? This is serious!" Vulpix said as seriously as she could, but due to her childish voice, Jen could not suppress her laughter. She could even hear Haunter and Red's Pokemon chuckling in the background too.
"There is an amusement park here?"
Jen stopped laughing and listened a little more closely. "Is that Mew? Mew, how are you feeling? How long ago did you wake up?"
"I woke up a couple minutes ago, and I feel fine. I'm a little hurt that you didn't try to wake me up and take me to this super, cool amusement park." She said teasingly in her regular happy-go-lucky tone.
"There is nothing stopping you guys from coming over. I'll met you all at the Ferris Wheel, alright?"
There was silence on the other end as the group debated.
"We'll see you there, master/Jen." Both Haunter and Vulpix said.
Jen hung up and walked towards the Ferris Wheel. She was starting to feel a bit better, and facing Kenji didn't seem so bad anymore. Not while she had her cousin and friends to back her up if she needed them.
She glanced down at Red's phone that was still in her hand and went through recent calls. Jen stared at his number for a moment before forcing herself to hit the call button.
The phone rang twice before Kenji picked up on the other end. "Jen?"
"How far away are you?"
"Not too far from the amusement park. Why? Do you still want to meet?"
Jen sighed. "Yes, I still want to meet. And you're alone, right? None of your Team Rocket cronies are with you?"
"Jen, I'm not apart of Team Rocket. I promise."
Jen frowned as another question popped into her head. "How are you traveling so quickly?"
"I'm flying…"
"I thought you said that you released all of your Pokemon." Jen said dryly.
"Doesn't mean that I couldn't catch another Pokemon to travel to Nimbasa."
Jen nodded. "When do you think you'll be here?"
"Uh…five minutes."
"Yikes. Too soon…no, Jen, shut up! You have to face him sooner or later, and it's better that he is coming sooner." Jen sighed. "Alright. See you in five minutes."
She hung up before he could say anything else. Jen looked back up into the night sky, trying to find Mewtwo. "Hey Mewtwo, do you want to hangout with us too? It'll be fun!"
There was no answer.
Jen frowned. "We'll be leaving in the morning, I promise. The others just wanted to have some fun before we left."
Still, no reply from Mewtwo.
"Are you alright? Are you angry with us?"
"Why would I be angry with any of you? I'm not."
Jen sighed with relief when she heard his voice.
"Enjoy your last night with the others."
"You're not joining us?"
"I can not morph into different Pokemon like Mew can. I'll watch from afar."
Jen pouted and was about to protest when she felt something, two somethings, land on her back. The weight and the momentum of the two creatures sent Jen face planting into the ground.
"Oops…jumping on her may have not been such a great idea." Mew giggled. She had morphed into an Aipom.
"Nonsense! I do it all the time and Jen is fine with it. Isn't that right, Jen? Jen?" Vulpix bounced off of Jen's back and nuzzled her shoulder. "Are you still conscious, Jen?"
Jen slowly turned her head towards Vulpix. "That really hurt." She said in a mock childish voice.
"But you're alright, master?" Haunter asked as he helped her up from the ground.
"That looked like it hurt quite a bit, trainer." Rattata said as he came up beside Vulpix.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Jen smiled as she brushed herself off. "Where is Red and his Pokemon?"
"We were heading towards the Ferris Wheel when Vulpix and Mew jumped off and landed on top of you. Red and his Pokemon said that we could just meet him at the ride." Haunter answered.
Jen nodded and pointed towards the large, spinning wheel. "Alrighty then. Off to the Ferris Wheel we go!"

A couple minutes later
Jen found Red waiting halfway through the line. "Red!" She cried.
Red's head spun around and he smiled at her. "You're still alive." He mentally chuckled.
"It still hurt when Vulpix and Mew landed on me. Why did you let them jump on me? Why didn't you try to stop them?" She asked teasingly.
He shrugged and motioned for her to join him in line. Vulpix, Mew, and Rattata ran on ahead excitedly, but Haunter stayed by her side.
"Who were you waiting on, master?" He asked.
Jen shook her head and smiled. "Don't worry, Haunter."
"Is this person not coming anymore?"
Jen shook her head again. "No, he's coming still. I'm just eager to get this meeting over with…do you understand?"
Haunter nodded. "Do you want me to stay with you until he arrives?"
Jen smiled at her loyal Pokemon. "That would be very nice. Thank you, Haunter."
Red looked over his shoulder at Jen and frowned.
"Don't worry, Red. Haunter is going to stay with me for a little while. Can you keep an eye on Vulpix and Rattata for me?" Jen said as she waved to him.
Red pointed at something behind her. "Is the person your waiting on Kenji? Cuz he is standing right behind you. Why is he even here? Shouldn't he be in Rota?"
Jen stiffened slightly and looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, Kenji was standing in line a few teens back. He was dressed in casual clothing again. The line moved up, but Jen stayed where she was and allowed everyone to pass her.
"Master?" Haunter asked worriedly.
"Go on with Red and the others. I'll meet up with you later."
Haunter stared at Kenji for a moment as he approached Jen. "Please call us if he causes you any trouble, master."
Jen nodded and Haunter flew off to join the other group.
"I'm really glad we could-"
Jen held her hand up to silence Kenji. "Why were you in the Team Rocket headquarters?"
"I think I'd rather talk to you about that once we get on the ride."
"Why?" Jen asked curtly.
"You still don't trust me, do you?"
"And why should I?"
Kenji sighed. "Can you please wait until we get onto the ride before I start giving you any answers?"
Jen pursed her lips and nodded.
"Thank you." He said calmly.
"You do know that if I was a normal person, we would not be in the same region anymore, right?" Jen growled.
Kenji chuckled softly. "But you're not normal…and that's what I like about you. From the moment I first met you, you've proven to be someone who will not settle for being normal."
"Quit it."
"Quit what?"
Jen glared at him. "Quit trying to…gawh! Just keep your mouth shut until we get onto the ride."
Kenji suppressed his chuckle as he followed Jen through the line in silence. It took about ten minutes before Jen and Kenji were able to get onto the ride.
Jen sat down on one side of the basket and waited for Kenji to sit on the other side, but Kenji took the seat next to her.
"What are you doing?" She asked, shocked.
"Sitting. Are you really that upset that you don't want me to sit next to you?" He sounded hurt.
"Can't you tell?" Jen spit.
Kenji sighed and moved to the other seat. "I'm sorry, Jen. I never meant to hurt you or cause you to-"
"Why were you at the Rocket base?" Jen asked bluntly.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Jen folded her arms across her chest. "Try me, Kenji."
He sighed. "I was there for the same reason you were there."
Jen narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You were joining them?" She asked bitterly.
"You really joined Team Rocket?!" Kenji asked horrified. He had practically leapt out of his seat.
Jen stared at him, shocked by his response. "No. Why would I ever want to join them? They've kidnapped my Pokemon and they've tried to kill me multiple times. Why the bloody hell would I want to become a Rocket grunt?"
He sighed with relief.
"Why do you care what I do?" Jen asked suspiciously.
Kenji opened his mouth to answer, but he couldn't seem to find the right words. A small smirk began to form on his face. "I don't know. I think…it's because I love you."
Jen didn't notice that she stopped breathing until her lungs started screaming for oxygen. "Love?"
The smirk slowly disappeared from his face. "I understand if you don't feel the same way, and I don't blame you if hate me."
"Damn it." Jen grimaced. "I don't hate you, Kenji. I…I hate the way you make me feel about you."
Kenji cocked his head to the side.
"You really want me to say it don't you?" Jen growled.
"I don't know how I make you feel."
Jen bit her bottom lip as she forced herself to answer. "I…love you too, Kenji."
"And you hate that?"
"No…I…I don't know. You're not apart of Team Rocket?"
Kenji slowly moved into the seat next to Jen and pulled her close. "I never have been, nor will I ever be apart of Team Rocket. I promise."
"You still haven't answered all of my questions yet, Kenji. How can I trust you if you keep hiding things from me?"
Kenji looked at her sadly. "You want the whole truth?"
Jen nodded. Her expression was firm, but a small hint of pity shone in her eyes.
"Alright. I'll tell you…I-"
He was abruptly cut off by the violent rupture of the Ferris Wheel.
"What the?" Both Kenji and Jen muttered as they looked out the basket window.
Smoke was starting to fly up from the center of the wheel. Jen squinted to get a better view just in time to see a light ignite in the far off distance and zoom straight into the Ferris Wheel. The ride shook again.
Alarms sounded from down below as park participants were evacuated from the rides. Some riders on the Ferris Wheel, who were low enough to the ground, began jumping from their baskets and running for the exits.
Too bad Kenji, Jen, and her friends were all still stuck at the top.