Jessie walked down the lonely streets angrily. What was going on? Who wanted them dead? If it was Giovanni, then why?
That boy she'd seen several days ago was haunting her thoughts. He had looked like James . . . so very much like James. . . . There was no reason why he wouldn't have been James . . .
Except James was dead. The boy she'd seen at the outdoor cafe hadn't known her. There was no reason why he would have. Unless . . .
She gasped, recalling part of their conversation.
** "Have we met before?" she stammered finally, completely taken aback.
"I don't know," he replied in a soft voice. "I was trying to remember." **
She had noticed something in his eyes, a faint spark of recognition that had quickly disappeared, but after their conversation she hadn't thought any more about it.
There *was* no reason why he wouldn't have been James, she realized. James was alive—he must be sick or something, struck down by amnesia, but he was alive!
At that moment she was surrounded by dark shadows.
"What's going on?" she demanded. "What do you want?"
"You're just going to come with us," the leader growled.
"Oh yeah? Arbok, I choose you!" Jessie flung her Pokeball at the shadows, bringing her serpentine Pokemon out to protect her.
The others only laughed, and the leader summoned a fire Pokemon, which quickly sent Arbok spiraling out of control. "Now, then, where were we?" He reached to grab Jessie's arm.
"I won't go with you!" she snapped, kicking at him.
"Now, now, Jessie, don't be afraid," an all-too-familiar voice purred, and an all-too-familiar person stepped out into view.
"Giovanni!" she gasped. "It was you! It's been you all along!"
"Quite right, my dear. You know, I would have had that troublesome Pikachu in my grasp ages ago if you and James hadn't kept bungling the job."
"Is that why you're doing this? I doubt anyone else could do any better!" Jessie fumed. "Those twerps and their Pikachu are crafty!"
"Yes, I suppose your failure at capturing Pikachu is partially why you must be eliminated," Giovanni replied, toying with her. "But there's more to it than that, especially where your precious James is concerned."
Jessie's eyes burned red. "You monster!"
Giovanni laughed. "Oh, but there will be more time for chatting later. Take her away!"
The agents all moved forward as one, grabbing Jessie and shoving her into a waiting limo. "Let me go!!" she demanded, fighting viciously, but in vain. "James!!" she screamed desperately.
****
"Jessie?" James looked up. He had been hiding on the other side of town, in an abandoned house, when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. "Jessie's in trouble," he said grimly. With no thought for his own safety, he fled through the door, heading for where he knew they were taking her.
****
"Ahh, now my dear, we have reached our destination."
Jessie glared at Giovanni as they stopped in front of a factory. "I suppose you're planning to set me up with an 'accident,'" she said angrily.
"You always were the smarter one between you and James," Giovanni smirked as they shoved her out of the limo and inside the dimly-lighted building, where they walked across a narrow balcony high above the machines, which were all powered up and churning out their programmed tasks. "It's quite a pity I have to get rid of you, my dear. But you see, you know so very much that you shouldn't. The day after James' . . . ahem . . . unfortunate demise, when I called you to my office, I could tell you knew I had caused it. It was very clear on your face. You should be more careful, my dear. That mistake will be your undoing."
"Your tone of voice made it clear to me," Jessie retorted. "You should be more careful yourself, buster. And you'll never take me out without a fight!"
"Hmm, strange. You know, those are nearly the exact same words James said to me right before I strangled the life out of him," Giovanni sneered.
"Don't play games with me!" Jessie screamed. "He's alive, and you know it as well as I do!"
Giovanni looked momentarily startled, then smiled wickedly. "You are correct, my dear. He is alive, but I will make sure that doesn't last long."
"Excuse me, but would you like to bet on that?"
Giovanni and Jessie both gasped, looking up. Standing on another balcony high above them, holding his trademark rose, was James. "You'll pay for what you tried to do!" the boy declared, sliding down on a cable to confront Giovanni.
"Ah, James, James. . . . Now I have you both right where I want you." Giovanni smirked. "And you will both pay . . . for knowing too much and for screwing up my plans to get Pikachu. You are no longer useful to me, and when something isn't useful anymore, I tend to discard it." He motioned to his henchmen. "The girl first."
"Think again." Jessie kicked at her captors hard, sending them all flying back hard against the metal railing. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double," James added, but Jessie didn't hear him as she was busy throwing another agent back.
"This is so amusing." Giovanni grabbed James' arm and twisted it painfully backwards, causing him to cry out. "But I'm afraid the party's over." Two more agents seized Jessie, holding her back. "Throw Jessie overboard."
"Don't you dare harm her!" James screamed, outraged.
Jessie angrily kicked out at her captors, sending them flying . . . right over the railing and into a crate of styrofoam packing chips.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow," Giovanni said with a twisted smile. "Unfortunately for you, you won't be as lucky as those two were just now." He shoved James, knocking him over, and grabbed Jessie.
"Get your hands off me!" she snapped, fighting in vain to free herself. Giovanni, she discovered, had a much stronger grip than most of his minions.
"I'm sorry, my dear, but this is goodbye for you . . . OW!" He was interrupted by Jessie biting him and James punching him at the same time. "You'll both wish you hadn't done that," he threatened, preparing to throw Jessie over the railing.
"Let go of her," James growled, grabbing Giovanni angrily and pulling him away from the railing. Giovanni in turn grabbed James and attempted to throw him over the edge. They tumbled and fought all across the balcony, while Jessie fought off more of Giovanni's goons.
This was the situation when Ash, Misty, and Brock ran in.
"What's happening in here?" Misty exclaimed.
"Somebody's going to get hurt if we don't do something," Brock observed.
"We'd better call the police!" Ash decided. "There's a pay phone just down the street."
Meanwhile Giovanni tried once more to shove James over, but instead slammed him hard against the metal railing and James screamed in pain, feeling blood drip down his face, blurring his vision. As Giovanni moved in for the final blow, instead he slipped on the smooth metal surface, pushing James to the floor hard and causing himself to fall over the edge. His ensuing scream echoed throughout the factory.
Jessie, who had just successfully defeated the last henchman, jumped at the sound of Giovanni's scream and looked around frantically for James. She found him laying motionless at the other end of the balcony and was instantly at his side. "James! James, can you hear me?" She pulled him gently into her arms.
James opened his eyes weakly. "You're . . . the girl from the outdoor cafe," he said softly.
Jessie's eyes filled with tears. "James . . . you don't know me, do you?"
James smiled, taking Jessie's hand in his own. "Yes, I do. . . . I know you . . . Jessie." With that his eyes closed again and he fell limp in her arms.
"James! Speak to me, James!" Jessie cried frantically. "Say something!" Outside, the police sirens wailed and the officers came in to round up the bad guys, but Jessie paid them no heed as she pleaded in vain for James to awaken.
That boy she'd seen several days ago was haunting her thoughts. He had looked like James . . . so very much like James. . . . There was no reason why he wouldn't have been James . . .
Except James was dead. The boy she'd seen at the outdoor cafe hadn't known her. There was no reason why he would have. Unless . . .
She gasped, recalling part of their conversation.
** "Have we met before?" she stammered finally, completely taken aback.
"I don't know," he replied in a soft voice. "I was trying to remember." **
She had noticed something in his eyes, a faint spark of recognition that had quickly disappeared, but after their conversation she hadn't thought any more about it.
There *was* no reason why he wouldn't have been James, she realized. James was alive—he must be sick or something, struck down by amnesia, but he was alive!
At that moment she was surrounded by dark shadows.
"What's going on?" she demanded. "What do you want?"
"You're just going to come with us," the leader growled.
"Oh yeah? Arbok, I choose you!" Jessie flung her Pokeball at the shadows, bringing her serpentine Pokemon out to protect her.
The others only laughed, and the leader summoned a fire Pokemon, which quickly sent Arbok spiraling out of control. "Now, then, where were we?" He reached to grab Jessie's arm.
"I won't go with you!" she snapped, kicking at him.
"Now, now, Jessie, don't be afraid," an all-too-familiar voice purred, and an all-too-familiar person stepped out into view.
"Giovanni!" she gasped. "It was you! It's been you all along!"
"Quite right, my dear. You know, I would have had that troublesome Pikachu in my grasp ages ago if you and James hadn't kept bungling the job."
"Is that why you're doing this? I doubt anyone else could do any better!" Jessie fumed. "Those twerps and their Pikachu are crafty!"
"Yes, I suppose your failure at capturing Pikachu is partially why you must be eliminated," Giovanni replied, toying with her. "But there's more to it than that, especially where your precious James is concerned."
Jessie's eyes burned red. "You monster!"
Giovanni laughed. "Oh, but there will be more time for chatting later. Take her away!"
The agents all moved forward as one, grabbing Jessie and shoving her into a waiting limo. "Let me go!!" she demanded, fighting viciously, but in vain. "James!!" she screamed desperately.
****
"Jessie?" James looked up. He had been hiding on the other side of town, in an abandoned house, when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. "Jessie's in trouble," he said grimly. With no thought for his own safety, he fled through the door, heading for where he knew they were taking her.
****
"Ahh, now my dear, we have reached our destination."
Jessie glared at Giovanni as they stopped in front of a factory. "I suppose you're planning to set me up with an 'accident,'" she said angrily.
"You always were the smarter one between you and James," Giovanni smirked as they shoved her out of the limo and inside the dimly-lighted building, where they walked across a narrow balcony high above the machines, which were all powered up and churning out their programmed tasks. "It's quite a pity I have to get rid of you, my dear. But you see, you know so very much that you shouldn't. The day after James' . . . ahem . . . unfortunate demise, when I called you to my office, I could tell you knew I had caused it. It was very clear on your face. You should be more careful, my dear. That mistake will be your undoing."
"Your tone of voice made it clear to me," Jessie retorted. "You should be more careful yourself, buster. And you'll never take me out without a fight!"
"Hmm, strange. You know, those are nearly the exact same words James said to me right before I strangled the life out of him," Giovanni sneered.
"Don't play games with me!" Jessie screamed. "He's alive, and you know it as well as I do!"
Giovanni looked momentarily startled, then smiled wickedly. "You are correct, my dear. He is alive, but I will make sure that doesn't last long."
"Excuse me, but would you like to bet on that?"
Giovanni and Jessie both gasped, looking up. Standing on another balcony high above them, holding his trademark rose, was James. "You'll pay for what you tried to do!" the boy declared, sliding down on a cable to confront Giovanni.
"Ah, James, James. . . . Now I have you both right where I want you." Giovanni smirked. "And you will both pay . . . for knowing too much and for screwing up my plans to get Pikachu. You are no longer useful to me, and when something isn't useful anymore, I tend to discard it." He motioned to his henchmen. "The girl first."
"Think again." Jessie kicked at her captors hard, sending them all flying back hard against the metal railing. "Prepare for trouble!"
"And make it double," James added, but Jessie didn't hear him as she was busy throwing another agent back.
"This is so amusing." Giovanni grabbed James' arm and twisted it painfully backwards, causing him to cry out. "But I'm afraid the party's over." Two more agents seized Jessie, holding her back. "Throw Jessie overboard."
"Don't you dare harm her!" James screamed, outraged.
Jessie angrily kicked out at her captors, sending them flying . . . right over the railing and into a crate of styrofoam packing chips.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow," Giovanni said with a twisted smile. "Unfortunately for you, you won't be as lucky as those two were just now." He shoved James, knocking him over, and grabbed Jessie.
"Get your hands off me!" she snapped, fighting in vain to free herself. Giovanni, she discovered, had a much stronger grip than most of his minions.
"I'm sorry, my dear, but this is goodbye for you . . . OW!" He was interrupted by Jessie biting him and James punching him at the same time. "You'll both wish you hadn't done that," he threatened, preparing to throw Jessie over the railing.
"Let go of her," James growled, grabbing Giovanni angrily and pulling him away from the railing. Giovanni in turn grabbed James and attempted to throw him over the edge. They tumbled and fought all across the balcony, while Jessie fought off more of Giovanni's goons.
This was the situation when Ash, Misty, and Brock ran in.
"What's happening in here?" Misty exclaimed.
"Somebody's going to get hurt if we don't do something," Brock observed.
"We'd better call the police!" Ash decided. "There's a pay phone just down the street."
Meanwhile Giovanni tried once more to shove James over, but instead slammed him hard against the metal railing and James screamed in pain, feeling blood drip down his face, blurring his vision. As Giovanni moved in for the final blow, instead he slipped on the smooth metal surface, pushing James to the floor hard and causing himself to fall over the edge. His ensuing scream echoed throughout the factory.
Jessie, who had just successfully defeated the last henchman, jumped at the sound of Giovanni's scream and looked around frantically for James. She found him laying motionless at the other end of the balcony and was instantly at his side. "James! James, can you hear me?" She pulled him gently into her arms.
James opened his eyes weakly. "You're . . . the girl from the outdoor cafe," he said softly.
Jessie's eyes filled with tears. "James . . . you don't know me, do you?"
James smiled, taking Jessie's hand in his own. "Yes, I do. . . . I know you . . . Jessie." With that his eyes closed again and he fell limp in her arms.
"James! Speak to me, James!" Jessie cried frantically. "Say something!" Outside, the police sirens wailed and the officers came in to round up the bad guys, but Jessie paid them no heed as she pleaded in vain for James to awaken.