(Continued)
Jessie, James and Meowth sat for a while watching the two children struggling to help their injured friend. From their vantage point, they could tell that things weren't going well. Ash hadn't regained consciousness yet, but the shock of the cold water revived him enough to struggle against it. They watched as Tracy and Misty desperately tried to keep Ash in the water...and to keep him from hurting himself with his weak thrashing.
"It don't look good." Meowth said softly to his two companions. They glanced at him for a moment, their eyes troubled as his, before turning back toward the scene before them.
James cleared his throat hesitantly. "Um....Jess...maybe...maybe we should help them." Jessie looked at James and considered what he'd suggested. It would be the right thing to do...the decent thing. How could they just sit by and let the twerp die? Were they really that evil?
"You know....dat Pikachu'd probably be real easy to swipe right now..." Meowth added reluctantly. She turned to him and one look told her that this wasn't what Meowth wanted to do. He was just saying it because he had to. Because it was an option that they had to consider. And she did.
Jessie sat silently, her mind racing. Her two friends watched her, waiting on her to decide. On the one hand, they could help save the boy's life. They could be heroes. They could do the right thing. On the other, they could finally get away with that Pikachu while everyone was too busy to stop them. It was their job. They were the bad guys. These kids were the enemy. With a shiver she remembered the look on the Boss's face when he told them that they'd best not mess up this time. She opened her mouth to tell them to get ready to get that Pikachu. "Come on, lets see if we can help." Meowth and James looked relieved, and despite her surprise at what had come out of her mouth, so was she.
They stood for several minutes, unsure of how to announce their presence. Saying the motto just didn't seem like the thing to do. They were saved the trouble, however, when Misty noticed them.
"Oh no! No no no no NO! You can't be serious! You're going to attack us NOW? What kind of monsters are you?" She cried, her voice breaking at the end. Misty was certain that Ash wasn't going to make it....that it was only a matter of time. Now, on top of watching one of the most important people in her life fade painfully away, she had to contend with this. She wasn't sure she could take any more.
Jessie was shocked, and angry. Why that skinny little twerp! How dare she! If looks could kill, Misty would have been blasted on the spot. Jessie reached for Arbok's ball and opened her mouth to order it to attack. But before she could, James stepped forward and saved the situation.
"Thats not what we're here for!" He said quickly.
"Then what are you here for?"
"Actually, we thought we'd help you, but if you're gonna act like that..." Jessie interjected.
"Wait!" Tracy interrupted her. "You can help?" He looked at them hopefully. He wasn't quite sure if he trusted them, but they desperately needed help.
"Of course we can help!" Jessie snapped. "We're Team Rocket! What...do you think they just pick us up off the street and send us out? No! We are very well trained and..."
Misty interrupted her angrily, "Well, if you're going to help then help! If you aren't going to help why don't you just go away. We're too busy to just sit here and listen to you talk about your wonderful training....which by the way....I'd get my money back on if I were you since the three of you can't ever seem to do anything right."
Tracy groaned. Misty was right of course, they really didn't have time to listen to Team Rocket talk...but she didn't have to be so rude about it. They could help us, he thought. She knows they could...why is she acting this way? He looked at her and realized that she was afraid. He didn't think he ever remembered her looking so afraid. For just a second he wished he could make her feel better...that he could save the day and make her smile.
This time, James and Meowth were just as angry as Jessie. "Fine. We wanted to help. You insulted us. We're leaving." James said in a deceptively calm and measured voice. Jessie glanced at him wonderingly, James only sounded like that when he was really angry. The three of them turned an started to leave, all ready to return in a few moments to steal Pikachu, their attempt at doing good so contemptuously swatted aside.
"Wait!" Misty called softly. She watched as they turned, looking annoyed. "Please...if......if you can help...please help. I'm sorry about what I said." Her voice dropped to a whisper and her eyes filled with tears. "He can't die...please." Misty lost the control she'd been struggling to maintain on her emotions then. She crumpled slowly to the ground sobbing pitifully.
Jessie, James and Meowth looked at each other and sighed. "Oh, get up. We'll help." Jessie said sharply. She felt like she might cry herself and that was unthinkable. Not in front of them.
Meowth, sensing her discomfort and for once not picking at it, added, "Yeah....cause you begged." with a smirk.
Ten hours later, they were all exhausted, physically and emotionally, and they sat around the campfire, too tired to sleep. It had been a long ten hours. Ash's fever climbed to unimaginable levels throughout the time and everytime they thought it was under control, it would flare up again. He'd regained consciousness for a while, but was delerious. He kept thrashing and trying to get out of the water so someone had to be with him at all times to keep him from hurting himself. Later, as the fever raged on, he grew listless and finally slipped out of consciousness again. They were all sure they were going to lose him, but shortly after he passed out, his fever broke.
Besides the fever, there were is injuries to worry about as well. The water had soaked through the dried blood that had closed off his leg wound and it was bleeding heavily again. James pulled off the blood soaked shirt Tracy had used and applied a pressure bandage from his medic kit. It didn't stop the bleeding completely, but it slowed it down to a trickle. James would have liked to have used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, but if it was left on too long, the boy would lose his leg. If it came to it, he would...but only as a last resort.
James was also worried about Ash's ribs. He had at least two broken ribs and everytime he moved, he risked puncturing a lung. So, with Jessie and Tracy's help he wrapped them as tightly as he could. The water soaked bandages had to be changed often though because they'd become loose and ineffective. He wasn't even sure that they were doing anygood anyway, from the way Ash sounded when he breathed deeply, James thought that it might be too late to prevent interal injuries.
The pokemon where busy too. Lapras and Charizard had to keep making new bobsleds and Squirtle had to keep filling them. Pikachu and Bulbasaur helped the humans to take care of Ash. Bulbasaur helped to hold Ash when they changed his bandages and to keep him steady when he had to be moved. Pikachu was the only one besides Misty who could keep Ash calm in his delerium. Neither one left his side.
Once the immediate danger was over the pokemon were returned to their balls to rest and the humans, Meowth and Pikachu gathered around the fire. Ash was wrapped in his and Misty's sleeping bags and was moved close to the fire. Its weird, Misty thought, we spent all that time trying to get him cool...now we have to keep him warm. She flexed her hands which still felt numb from being in the freezing water. Her mind felt just as numb. She looked at Jessie curiously, "Why did you help us?"
Jessie considered getting angry for a moment....but decided it was too much effort and she was too tired. "Why wouldn't we? We may be the bad guys....but we aren't monsters." She replied, deliberetly using the word Misty had used.
Misty blushed. ÒIÕm sorry...I...well...IÕd had a really bad day.Ó she said softly.
The uncomfortable silence was broken by Tracy who asked, ÒHave any of you seen any other people on this island? I know there arenÕt any towns or Pokecenters on it..but have you seen any other people?Ó
Jessie and James looked at each other for a moment and then Jessie answered, ÒNo....there arenÕt any other people on the island...just us.Ó Just us....and the Boss she thought worridly.
ÒWe need to get Ash to a hospitle.Ó Tracy said. ÒHeÕs ok now...but heÕs not out of danger...Ó
ÒYouÕre right,Ó James said, ÒheÕs not. In fact, IÕm really worried about his breathing. I think the sooner he gets to a hospitle, the better.Ó
ÒBut how? How are we going to get him there?Ó Misty asked
Jessie sighed, did these kids really think they were so cruel that theyÕd just leave them here after all this? ÒWeÕll help you of course.Ó she said tensly. ÒWe can take him to the next island in our Magikarp boat.Ó Then seeing the look on MistyÕs face she qickly added, ÒI didnÕt spend hours working my butt off and getting my fingers all pruny just so that twerp could die anyway.Ó
ÒHow did this happen anway?Ó James asked, wisly changing the subject.
Misty told them about how Ash had gone out to get firewood, leaving out the part about how she made him do it....about how all this was her fault. She told them about hearing Ash scream and finding him attacked by a Rhyhorn. She told them what she and Tracy had thought happened. That Ash had tried to use Charizard to battle Rhyhorn and Charizard had flown away, leaving him to be trampled. Then...after a moment of consideration, she added that now she wasnÕt so sure if that happened or not. Pikachu seemed to trust Charizard and it wouldnÕt if it had hurt Ash like that. ÒBut, IÕm not certain I do trust CharizardÓ she finished.
ÒIs that why you didnÕt send Charizard to get help?Ó James asked.
ÒYes,Ó she answered, ÒIf it did run away once...it could do it again.Ó
ÒWell...at least it wasnÕt the ÔhelpÕ the Boss arranged that did it.Ó James felt relieved. He didnÕt want to imagine that the Boss would do something like that to a kid. He felt so relieved that he didnÕt even notice what he had said till Jessie smacked him.
ÒIdiot.Ó She said in ahalf hearted snarl. She was too tired to put much feeling into it and the damage was done now anyway.
Misty and Tracy looked at them bewilderedly. ÒHuh?Ó
Knowing that more questions were comming, Jessie decided to just tell them. ÒOur Boss told us to come and steal Pikachu and that heÕd arranged for us to have some help doing it.Ó
ÒYeah, and we were supposed to say ÔIts timeÕ when we got here to let the help know we were here.Ó James added, again not realizing what he was saying.
Jessie smacked him again, with feeling this time. ÒJames you idiot!Ó She yelled, waking Pikachu and Meowth.
ÒWhat?Ó
ÒYou said it!Ó she yelled
James realized what she meant and paled. I didnÕt mean to! He tried to say, but before he could even open his mouth, the inraged roar of a battle ready Charizard ripped through the campsite. They all turned to find that Charizard had come out of his ball and was charging toward them, flaming angrily.