Part Four
~ ~ ~
"Pssst...Hey! You guys! Wake up, already!"
James' eyes slowly fluttered open, eyeing the empty room. He looked over to his right, where the voice had come, and saw Meowth, rope in hand, smiling at him.
"Me being a Meowth, and also being talented with my claws, have sav--"
"Just shut up!" James hissed, not wanting to hear Meowth's victorious rantings. James realized that he, too, was free, and he quickly began freeing Jessie, waking her up in the process.
"We're free, Jessie," James told her, "Meowth got out of his rope, and now we can get out of this prison!" He finished undoing the rope, and flung it to the floor. He helped her up. "Are you OK, Jessie?"
She smiled at him. "Yeah, I'll be fine. But my back is just aching from sitting like that all night."
"Ah, it could be worse. But we're free now, so let's spring this joint!"
Meowth was by the window, waiting. "We'll go out the window--I bet the door's locked, anyway."
James heaved the window open, and one by one they crawled out into the meadow, closing the window behind them.
"This way!" Meowth directed, determined, and they walked up the clearing and into the trees. The sun was starting to rise beyond, and they walked as shadows in the darkness that remained.
* * * * * *
Ash crawled back a little bit into the grass. He couldn't keep his eyes off of the Carefree...he couldn't believe his eyes.
"Piii?" Pikachu came from behind.
"Shhhh...Pikachu! Look! I'm gonna catch it!"
"Caaaare!" The Pokemon called from the dead tree branch. Ash stood up slowly, Pikachu by his side now, and he removed an empty Pokeball from his belt.
"Gatcha now!" Ash muttered, lifting the Pokeball.
"Hey, Ash! Stop!" It was Brock, beside Misty, just behind him in the grass. "You already learned the hard way that you can't catch it like that!"
Ash looked back, snapping his fingers. "Oh! Right. OK then...I'll have to weaken it first!" He turned around. "Pikachu! Go!"
Pikachu stood with his arms folded. "Piiii-ka!" he said, looking away.
"Huh? Pikachu! Why won't you fight?!" Ash asked his Pokemon, a bit aggravated.
"Piikachu! Chu kachu pi pika kachu!" Pikachu responded, still looking away.
"Huh? You don't want anything to do with it? You're scared of what it could do to you? Why? It's harmless, Pikachu!" Ash's face lowered, red, and he sighed heavily. "Ohhh...fine, Pikachu! Be that way!" Ash reached back and pulled out another Pokeball.
"Go! Squirtle!"
"Squuuuuitle squirtle!" the Pokemon yelled.
"Freee! Caaarefree!"
Ash stepped back. "Squirtle! Weaken that Carefree with your water gun!"
"Squuuiiirtle!" Squirtle sprayed the Carefree up in the tree. It jumped to another branch.
"Fa-reee!" it cried. It whipped it's tail, sending powder through the air and onto Squirtle. "Squitlesquitle...squirtle!" It cried, then it was silent, and still.
"Hey, Squirtle! Try it again!" Ash yelled.
"Squir-tle!" It turned away.
"Ah, Squirtle! Why won't you fight?"
Squirtle walked away from the Carefree.
"Oh, great!" Ash muttered, "It's just a little harmless Pokemon! C'mon! Why won't you or Pikachu fight it?"
"It's lost the will to fight, Ash!" Brock told him, "It no longer wants to battle or hurt it!"
The Carefree hopped down from the tree and fled. "Freeee!"
"Why? What happened?" Ash asked, confused. He sighed. "Squirtle, return." He held out the Pokeball, got Squitle back, and placed it back on his belt. "I don't get it," he muttered.
Brock shrugged. "Maybe it's the powder," he offered, "that seems to be it's special attack."
"Hmmm...I guess so," Ash said, "but I'll never catch a Carefree like this! I'll have to try to catch it without weakening it!"
"Chu!"
"OK, then," Ash said, "let's just go." He hiked toward the trail.
Misty and Brock walked slowly. "It sure is beautiful here," Misty observed. A soft breeze had began to blow over the woods, and the grass by the dead tree seemed to dance slowly, swaying in the breeze, as if in a trance. Brock and Misty watched it--hand in hand, close to one another. Brock spotted a patch of yellow wild flowers dancing in the breeze, and leaned down to pick one. He lifted it up, and, turning to face Misty, stuck it behind her left ear.
She smiled, about to speak. Brock put his finger up to her mouth, softly "shhh" -ing her. He lifted his free hand, and gently placed it around her waist.
"Misty..." he whispered, pulling her into the moment. She let the tension leave her body, leaning on him. They pulled closer together, and she put her arm around his neck. She pulled him close to her, like it was all that she could do...she didn't want to break away.
They looked into each other's faces for a few careless moments, as if nothing else would come naturally to them.
Ash suddenly turned from where he was, looking back--shocked, and he couldn't stop staring, completely appalled. All that he could do was stare, dazed and unbelieving. He couldn't even speak. There was something so unnatural about this...
Misty was no longer smiling, her face now serious and frozen in the moment. Brock slowly leaned his head down, kissing her softly on the cheek. They stood frozen for another helpless moment, and he moved in again, his lips nearing hers. Their eyes closed...
"NO! Stop!!!" cried Ash. He couldn't take it anymore. That feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't let him just watch them kiss.
They spun around. "Huh? What?" Misty said, confused and shocked.
"Why?" asked Brock, appalled, "What's wrong, Ash?"
Ash wasn't sure what to say. Their eyes were staring at them, piercing into him. He wasn't sure what to do.
"Just...come on," Ash said, lowering his head.
They slowly followed after him onto the trail. Ash felt worse then ever. All he could do was keep walking, not even wanting to glance back.
* * * * * *
By mid-morning, Team Rocket was back on the trail and well on their way again. They had ran into to woods, and had to find the trail again. But now that that little conflict was passed, they decided that they would search for the Carefree again.
"This mission is so dull," James admitted to Meowth, "there must be something more exciting that we could be doing right now...I mean, we've been searching for this Pokemon for days and haven't had any luck in capturing it!"
Meowth looked up at him. "Yeah, and this is any different than usual? We never have luck! But...I have a feeling about this mission..."
"Yeah, that's what I used to think," James answered, "and now I realize that it's probably just useless. Those kids are too far ahead--they've probably caught a Carefree by now, you know."
"But what if we do capture one!" Meowth ventured. "We're getting so close, and we've come all the way up here already, so we might as well keep looking! 'C mon! The minute we catch it, we'll get right back in that balloon!"
"I suppose," James said, hugging Jessie closer. "Let's just get it over with."
They continued down the bumpy trail.
* * * * * *
Ash wasn't paying attention to the trail. He was walking blindly, just thinking. He couldn't get that feeling to go away--nothing he could do would stop him from feeling sick every time he saw Misty and...
Maybe that was it, he realized. He hated to see her with Brock. And he could tell now that they weren't just joking. Why didn't he see that before?! How dense could he be not to notice it wasn't just a game? Ash could feel tears in his eyes as he thought. He shook them away, trying to stay focused. Misty with Brock. Every giggle, every smile, even every word seemed to be for him. But...why Brock? What was so wonderful about him? He was too old for her, anyway, and they just...didn't go together.
But watching them, you'd never think that, though Ash knew better.
About noon, they stopped at the edge of a small meadow to eat lunch. Brock was out in the woods, getting some firewood. Ash was just sitting their, watching Misty.
She was clearing a place in the grass for a fire, working quickly, and Ash's eyes were glued to her every move. What was it about her?
He couldn't stand thinking about her and Brock anymore. He wanted answers, and he realized that now might be the best time. He stood, then, and slowly trudged over to Misty, though a nervous pain in his stomach opposed this idea.
"Uh, Misty. Hi," he chocked, feeling suddenly tenser.
"Hey, Ash," she said, standing and brushing the dirt from her hands.
Ash could barely make himself speak watching her. He attempted to swallow the lump in his throat.
"So...uhm, how's...Brock?" he asked at last, finding himself at a lack of words.
"Oh, Brock! He's so great! I love him so." Misty said, seeming to drift away in another thought.
Ash felt a little crushed. Suddenly anger gripped him, and he couldn't help but use a mean tone, suddenly able to speak. "You know, Misty, what is it that you see in him, anyway? What on earth is so great about him?! Why don't you--" He stopped himself, realizing his sudden outburst. He could see something in her eyes.
She gave him a confused, shocked look, as if she couldn't understand how anyone could say such a thing.
"Well...I mean...do you really, ah, love him so much?" Ash ventured, tenser then ever. He gritted his teeth, thinking that he shouldn't have acted to angry.
"I love Brock," Misty said, matter-of-factly, "and he loves me." She turned away, not seeming to be quite mad at him, but more like she was...unsure.
"But Misty--please, I just never thought you liked him at all! I--I thought you two were just taking me for a ride this whole time. I mean, it's so sudden! You guys just suddenly started liking each other, and you never liked each other before...I never would've guessed that you and Brock would love each other or anything! I mean, now I see you must really mean it, but it's driving me crazy! Why, Misty?! Why do you--..."
"I'm back!!" yelled Brock, walking through the trees and coming into view.
They turned to look at him approaching. "I'm always getting interrupted...just forget it, Misty..." Ash muttered, walking away from her.
"Ash..." she said, turning to him as he walked off. She watched him go for a moment, then shook her head and walked over to greet Brock.
Ash could almost swear that he saw something in her eyes, but...aw, no way. She loved Brock, the tough, strong, smart, older guy from Pewter City. Ash knew what he was feeling, and he couldn't make that feeling go away now.
* * * * * *
Ash and his friends were on the road again. In fact, they had been walking all day, and hadn't seen anything else, especially not a Carefree. They hadn't seen Team Rocket either, though, so they decided that they weren't doing so bad. Well, not Ash...
He could feel a headache coming from all this thinking of Misty...Brock, the Carefree--everything that bothered him. But now, once again, the sky was darkening. Two days, and he not only felt terrible, but he hadn't caught a Carefree, and Misty and Brock were racking on his nerves.
"I guess your the only one who cares anymore, Pikachu," Ash told his faithful Pokemon. Pikachu looked up at him. "Kachu! Pika pika."
They found they had no choice nut to set up camp. Ash even noticed that there were dark clouds drifting over the skies, and it worried him to see that they were coming in their direction.
"I really hope it doesn't rain, Pikachu," Ash said, sounding somewhat worried.
Brock found a plastic tarp, and situated it near a tree for it to act as a tent, just in case a storm should arise. And after a small meal, the somewhat disappointed group settled into their sleeping bags for the night.
* * * * *
Jessie and James were inseparable. Ever since the kiss, they were always together, and they rarely thought about the mission they had set out on just a couple of days before. They were always holding hands, always by each other's side, and even though Meowth tried to talk sense into them, there was little he could do.
They were still walking up the trail, and hadn't seen another Carefree since the cabin.
"Meowth," James asked the cat Pokemon, "what if we find a Carefree, but it's that Starzia slave driver girl's Carefree? Then aren't we in the same predicament as we were before?"
"I hope we're not dumb enough to do that," Meowth said, shuddering, "though I wouldn't put it past us...hey, I thought you weren't interested in this mission anymore," he continued wryly.
"I'm interested in staying out of captivity," James replied.
They hadn't rested since they had started out that morning, so they decided to stop near a boulder at the edge of the trail.
"Aren't you hungry, James?" Jessie asked, sitting by him in the grass. "You're always hungry."
"Not anymore," he told her with a smile.
"You'll never go hungry when you're being so cheesy!" Meowth mumbled.
"Shut you're meowth!" Jessie and James said at once.
"He just gets more and more annoying," James said.
"That's OK...I still love you, no matter what he says." She looked at him for a second, and her face turned serious. "In fact," she continued, "ever since we...kissed, I've felt so much different about you. I mean it, James, I love you more than I've ever loved anyone." She was just looking into his deep, green eyes now. He felt another kiss coming on.
"And you must know that I love you more than anything," he told her, leaning down and kissing her on the lips. The kiss ended, and they were suddenly smiling at each other.
"No one could be as happy as we are," James told her earnestly.
They sat there a few minutes more, just watching the trees and the grass, holding on to each other. Meowth soon interrupted their peaceful moment, nagging.
"OK, OK, it's about time we get going again! You want to walk all night? The sooner we find this Pokemon, the sooner we get to leave!"
"Get over it, Meowth!" Jessie said. "You'll never forget about this stupid Pokemon, will you? It's just some useless waste of time, I say. James..."
"She's right, you know," James went on. "It is a waste of time. Maybe we should just go."
"But I want to impress the Boss!" Meowth complained. "I want to sit on his lap and be his prized pet! I want to do something right for once! Come on! We can pull this off! You always have to ruin it for me, don't you?!" He folded his arms.
James looked at Jessie. She shrugged.
"So, we're here for your pride?" James questioned. "Just to impress the Boss? For you to get to sit on his lap and be favored? Is that what Team Rocket is all about? Newsflash--it's NOT all about you, Meowth!"
"OK, OK..." Meowth said, holding up a paw. "I get it! Look--I'm sorry and all, but have you forgotten that we also get paid for what we do?"
"Well...yeah, that's true..."
"At least let's not give up now!" Meowth pleaded, "Come on! For Team Rocket!"
Jessie rolled her eyes. "Fine, but stop pushing us! I've had enough!"
They were on the same, boring old trail again. They walked for hours and hours, and when they finally stopped for the night after not finding anything at all for their efforts, they were completely exhausted. Meowth collapsed in the grass and immediately fell into sleep. Jessie and James sat together against a tree, watching the fire before them, having eaten already and nearly ready to fall asleep. Neither of them really cared about their duty as Team Rocket--at least not right then. There was something more important between them, more important than Pokemon and whatever they were doing with this mission.
James wrapped his arms around Jessie protectively as they watched the embers slowly begin to fade into the night. They sat there, leaning by the large tree which seemed to shelter them, the fire's light fending the shadows away.
Jessie lifted her head, whispering into James' ear. "I love you. I really, really love you..." Her whisper faded into the shadows.
James glanced down at his love for a moment, then resumed his stare into the vanishing fire.
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Jessie," he told her. "You were always here, but I never realized what we could have." He was silent for a moment, in thought. "I...I only saw a mine...I never looked deep enough to see that there were diamonds inside. You are my treasure, Jessie." He never imagined that he could ever tell someone how he truly felt like this, using these words, having it be real. But Jessie made him feel something--true love.
They drifted away slowly with the fire, and soon, when the forest had grown completely dark once again, they had nodded off by the tree, James' arm still holding Jessie.
Part 5 soon to come!