The Rollercoaster Ride - Part 2
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"There. That ought to hold," Jessie says appraising her workmanship.
"Yeah, the shoulder feels a lot better this way, uh, thanks for popping it back Jessie," Brock notes gratefully.
"De nada Señor, gracias for not whining about how much it hurt. I know it did."
"Where is this cave were gonna die of hypothermia in?" Brock asks trying to be jocular.
"It's about two kilometres from here across the rocks, there's a little pool that melts at midday below it. You're not kidding about how cold it is up here at night, I couldn't allow my self to sleep last night. I paced constantly to avoid losing body heat," Jessie remembers painfully.
Brock observes,"Look there's not too much to make into a fire up here, but I know the place is lousy with geodudes. Geodude dung is hard and mostly carbon, it'll burn like coal. I suggest we hunt up a bagful on our hike to your humble abode."
She agrees and they pick their way up the valley, eyes scanning the field of rock they hop across, occasionally scooping up a hard black nugget from between the boulders. He looks over at her covertly, he notices that she's lithe, even athletic. He also notices that her neck, shoulders, and midsection are exposed, he clears his throat.
"Ahem! Ah, Jessie, I can't begin to feel warm looking at you. C'mon over here and look in my pack. There's a sheepskin leather jacket rolled up in the bottom, please put it on with my compliments."
She stops and stares at him. What was this? An act of kindness from a twerp? It seems like the nicest thing anyone save for James and Meowth had done for her in years. "Um, sure, and...thanks."
"It's the least I can do, seeing as how I've made off with your jacket because of this blasted shoulder," he offers lamely.
She looks at him with luminous eyes, "You're a better person than I gave you credit for."
"You too Jessie," he says feeling a little light-headed.
They stop staring at each other and separate, going back to their slow hike searching for fuel as they go. They arrive at he cave. It has a tall opening, but narrows as it penetrates the mountain. A chamber just big enough for a couple of sleeping bags and a fire on the level floor opens up about 50 metres into the cave.
"It's dark, but it's shelter," Jessie observes, "I had to kick out a few zubat and a golbat, now we coexist, sort of," she says looking around a bit warily.
They pile their fuel on the flat spot, and go to collect some dry grass and sedge from around the edge of the mountain tarn below the cave. The fire flares up from a match supplied by Jessie and they nurse it until the pokémon dung catches. It produces a thick, acrid smoke, but it also provides warmth. It will have to do if they want to survive the clear, frigid night beyond the cave.
An hour later, eyes streaming, Brock finally loses his temper, "You could have picked a better ventilated shelter," he complains, knowing full well that Jessie probably could not.
"I'd like to see if you would have done any better smartass," she snaps. He looks ruefully at her as she pulls the jacket together across her shoulders. She notices the itchiness of the woolen fleece, but thinks, "It's a lot better than being cold." Her head hurts, she's been thinking about the choice Brock presented to her. She's loyal to the Team, but she owes even more loyalty to her partners in crime. And what to do about this kid sitting across from her? She knows she should be tough, be hard, be ruthless, but...she can't. She's a failure. She hangs her aching head and produces a heartfelt snarl, "Arrggh!" Startling Brock.
"Anything I can do for you?" he asks, realizing his true helplessness.
"Can you turn back the clock? Change my life?" she's desperately upset.
"No on the first count. Perhaps I could offer something for number two."
"How?" she demands, her smoke reddened eyes glowing across the embers.
He speaks slowly, carefully, "It seems to me your 'best' option is to go back to James. From there I will try to intercede for you with Ash and Jenny. If you voluntarily return Pikachu combined with my testimony perhaps Ash'll drop the charges or Jenny will look the other way."
"You'd do that?" she's incredulous.
"If you come clean. After all you've done for me I won't see you penned up somewhere. You're too...alive, too, um, exciting to be so...limited."
She smiles quietly and looks evenly at him across the smoky fire, there is also smokiness in her visage. "What if you underestimate your influence with your friends? Thanks all the same."
He looks at that mysterious face wreathed in red hair, loose strands falling around her cat-like eyes, swallows and says, "It's a gamble you'll have to take Jessie. I promise to do my best for you and James."
"I suppose I'll take it then, it's better than dragging you to some Team Rocket outpost across the mountains. I haven't the stomach to dispose of you," she says looking defeated.
He decides to divert her attention, "How did you know we were coming to this obscure tourney? Or are you here on other business?"
She stiffens, "None of your...," then she goes slacker although her eyes betray anxiety, "Oh why not?" She pauses, lowering her voice as if there were listening devices planted somewhere. She starts again, "A powerful and extremely rare pokémon is rumoured to occur in this region, it's name is Mew."
"I've heard some rumours since I got here," Brock replies, "What do you know about it?"
"Old Team Rocket files and documents refer to it, a talented woman agent was lost seeking it. This Myiamoto shares her surname with me. Cassidy once told me she's related to me somehow, in fact she said this woman was the mother I can't remember, who abandoned me at two. Of course Cass might only say something to hurt me..."
"Huh," he murmurs, "I never thought we had anything in common, I lost my mom a long time ago too."
"You did?" she blinks and looks wistful, "My youth was like lying on a bed of nails, seven foster homes, most of them bad." She shudders involuntarily.
"I didn't lose mom so long ago I couldn't remember her, but I raised my siblings and took over the Pewter City gym. To this day I'm not sure how I managed, guess I simply had to do it, so I did. So Team Rocket's here to find Mew?" he says steering the conversation back to its main course.
"Uh huh, and don't spread it around. It wouldn't do much for your health."
An idea bursts upon Brock, he blurts it out, "Hey maybe we could help you look for this phantom. If it's a wild pokémon it's fair game."
"You're kidding! Do you have any idea the sort of weapon such a pokémon would be in Team Rocket's possession? You really want to help us get our hands on it?" she says half laughing.
"Guess I'm not thinking too clearly in this smoke. But why couldn't you make this a freelance operation? Since you might learn something about your mom's fate it's really a personal mission for you."
"A freelance operation?" she laughs, her voice derisive and high, "Are you insane?"
"I'm serious, you think Team Rocket will appreciate what you're doing now? Besides their reach isn't so long here. You should try. Success would be sweet!" he's earnest and can't quite believe what he's saying.
She takes on a devil may care air, and laughs more warmly, "You know you've almost got me believing you. I'm starting to see the advantage of a nice, quiet jail cell. Let's get out of here early tomorrow."
..............................................
"Was your dinner OK?" the policewoman leans casually with right hand against the bats of James' cell. She looks too solicitous, her eyes are soft, her face is a bit flushed. He notices the top couple of buttons on her blue tunic are undone.
"It was jailhouse food, pretty average I suppose. Why do you care? Do you have to eat it too?" he says hoping he sounds relaxed.
"Thank goodness no!" she giggles, "Hey, I've got a bottle of Chilean sherry in the office. I'd love to share it. What do you say?"
"Can they really call it sherry if it's not from Spain?"
"Ooh, a nitpicker. Maybe not, but it tastes good and should be shared."
He now knows why she's flushed and casual. Maybe he can take advantage of this apparently naïve little cop. "Um, sure, but aren't you supposed to not drink on duty?"
"Not really, but things are so quiet on the pokémon front around here things slide," she calls back as she goes out to get the bottle and glasses.
She returns, puts her glass on the floor, and balances bottle and James' glass awkwardly in her arms as she shifts her weight from left to right to balance her left hand. She looks vulnerable to James as she shyly passes the glass to him and searches his eyes for approval. "You like taking chances more than some Jennys I've met," he observes sipping the strong wine and appreciating the warming feel in his throat and chest.
"Good looking guys like you are scarce in this town, at least for gals like me. I just want to see if I can get to know you better."
"I think enough of myself to not argue the point. But what about that Brock kid, he actually worships you. I'm your adversary."
She leans her face against the bars close to his, he sees a wistful sadness in her eyes. "To tell the truth there's no excitement for me in an Eagle Scout like Brock. He's sweet, the way a puppy is sweet. I want a full grown growlithe."
"Funny you should mention growlithes. I used to train a growlithe, but I left it with my cold fish parents."
"I knew you were a growlithe trainer, somehow it just fits you!" she enthuses. "I was going to try and seduce you to get out of here, but to be honest I'd rather not leave you with the humiliating truth in this jail. I have a partner, and for all I know she loves me. So I'll share your wine I suppose, but don't get any romantic notions."
She stiffens, but there's no violent emotion, just blanching altering the appealing rosiness in her face, the sadness remains. "You don't suppose I didn't expect to be used by you? I'd just as soon be left alone here with you never having really loved me than to have never felt your warmth. My life has been that boring." She straightens her back, rearranges her tunic, smoothes her skirt, a tear trickles down her face. "You're a far too honourable thief JP," she sniffs.
He stares after her retreating back, and wonders about what might be but for more honesty than any thief should have. What would it be like to enter the mind of this obviously unorthodox Jenny? He sips some more wine, and pictures Jessie handing Pikachu to the local Rocket chief exec, "You go girl," he murmurs, wondering to whom he addresses it.
..........................................
It is 8:30 AM, Jenny is sitting at her desk trying to stare a hole in the empty sherry bottle. Yeah, she killed it she thinks, just like that conceited, blue-haired dandy killed her emotionally last night. The street door opens and, speaking of conceit, the Ketchem kid comes in bold as brass. "Hey we told you we'd get my Pikachu back, we always do." Behind him comes that skinny carrot-top girl Misty, then there's...Jessie. That's her all right, not a bad looking woman, she looks bruised, pale, but resolved. Then comes that scary Brock guy. He's looking subdued too, he wears a Team Rocket white blazer as a sling supporting his left arm. Things are happening too early in the morning, she thinks through a night's worth of fortified wine. Jessie is wearing a leather jacket draped over he shoulders as she looks uneasily around the office. "Well, what can we do for you?" Jenny says to no one in particular.
Brock comes forward talking too fast, just like yesterday. "It's like this Officer Jenny. Jessie here has given Pikachu back. She's hoping Ash will drop charges, and she and James can leave here. She saved me up in the mountains and I really think you should help her out. Considering our feelings (yours and mine) for each other I was sort of hoping you might let this one slide for my sake as well as James' and Jessie's," he's breathless and beet red after finishing this little speech.
She looks away from Brock's earnest, smiling face as quickly as she can looking for a sane face to settle upon. Jessie looks tired and haggard, Ash smug, and Misty looks cross. She settles on Ash. "Well? Are you dropping charges?"
He looks confused, looks to Brock who nods, and says, "I dunno, I'll have to think about it." Brock almost collapses.
Jessie shoots Brock a killing glance as Jenny takes her into the back room for processing. Brock looks helpless, Ash looks smug, and Misty looks, well, cross.
"Name?" she asks the seated Jessie.
"Jessica Musashi," Jessie says softly. "Where's James?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out Miss Musashi,"Jenny says as she carefully writes out the name.
"Age?" "22", "Occupation?" "You know what I do". "Do I?" "Yes you do." She writes down "Thief, Team Rocket."
The processing goes smoothly enough, now to choose a cell. She deliberately picks a cell at the far end of the building from James. She is determined in this but why? "I don't like her, and I like him," she says to herself with a firmness that surprises her. "She's a bad influence on him," she adds almost for rational confirmation.
"OK, here we go Miss Musashi, we hope you enjoy your stay."
The cell door closes, Jessie looks up again appearing frightened, "Where is James?" she demands again.
Jenny feels a brief twinge in her chest, but it passes. "None of your business," she snaps, turns on her heel and is gone down the hall ignoring the repeated question.
..........................................
Brock stands in front of the garish tropical scene hanging on the hotel wall and turns to look darkly at his young friend. "I thought we had this worked out. What's the big idea Ash! Can't stick to a deal, even with a friend, when those three are involved?"
Ash looks confused, but also a bit embarrassed, whether for his friend or himself is unclear. "Brock you can't trust Jessie, the minute we let down our guard, bam! They'll lift Pikachu."
"Pretty clever ploy, handing Pikachu back to you before snatching it again! Guess these guys like the game more than winning it. Look Ash, I know I can trust her, she could have left me to die up there, and she didn't, what her reasons were I can't fathom, but I think both of them are more decent at heart than they want to believe themselves."
"I ...I can't allow myself to believe you Brock. That's why I changed my mind."
"If you can't do it because it's Jessie and James then do it for me. If I'm wrong I'll just leave and never bother you again. I haven't asked for much from you little bud, could you do this for me?"
Ash sighs, "Maybe," "Not good enough," rejoins Brock. Ash relents. "OK, OK. I'll do it. But what's this other thing you were trying to tell me?"
"I want to join forces with James and Jessie to look for a pokémon up in the mountains. They know more about this Mew rumour we've heard than we do. Seems Team Rocket has been after it for years. There's a mystery too, a Rocket agent disappeared 20 years ago up there leaving no trace. If we find Mew, we may clear up that story too."
"What's the big deal?" Ash says unconvinced.
" This is the big deal Ash, this Mew is a legend, like Lugia or Hoh-oh. We could be famous, and if one of our party caught it...well we might just have a ticket to Elite Four status in short order."
Ash doesn't need to do calculus to see Brock's point. Pokémon Master! Perhaps the youngest ever! This fires his young imagination. "What if Jessie or James got it? Won't it go to Team Rocket?"
"I don't think so, Jessie seemed pretty excited about looking for it on her own when we discussed it on our way off the mountain. All we can do is talk to them, once you drop charges."
"All right, let's do it."
"Thanks Ash, I'm sure you won't regret it."
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James looks up when he hears a footfall outside his cell. It's that cop again looking unsure of herself. "Well what do you want now?" he asks warily.
The sadness in her eyes is there again, it's as if it never leaves her. "Look, about last night..."
"I don't remember anything about it, too much sherry I think."
"Thanks, but something's come up, and I've got to ask you some questions," she's tentative.
"Official business? Or more nonsense?" he says cocking an eyebrow at her.
"Nonsense, I'm afraid," she says weakly, "Do you find me attractive?"
He looks at her, and decides to be honest, "You're pretty, I like your eyes, you have a nice voice. You're also, uh..." how to say it?
"A little mousey?" she says, cutting him off.
"Well... yes". She looks at the floor, "I knew it."
"What about your partner? What is it about her that you love? What's she got that I don't?" These questions come rapid fire in a plaintive tone.
"First I don't know if I love Jessie, she's quite simply my best friend, yin to my yang. I'm comfortable around her. She's really different from you, she's confident about her looks, knows what she wants and lets nothing stand in her way, she's short tempered, she's heroic when she wants to be..." he trails off.
"Surely I might have some of those qualities if you gave me a chance. If she's so certain about what she wants, why aren't you sure she loves you?"
"You don't know about her past, even I don't know everything. I can tell you this, she's afraid to tell anybody she loves them. She's been damaged by something before I met her, she fears the pain will happen again if she opens up."
Jenny looks more woeful than ever, "What if I told you Jessie was brought in this morning and I assigned her a cell far from yours? You'd hate me wouldn't you?"
" Are you telling me this?" he asks. She nods, a tear trickles down her cheek. "I'd say you've taken care of heroic," he states softly, "Might you put us together?"
Her head sinks, and she nods again.
.......................................
"Hi," a weak feminine voice intrudes on Jessie's brooding about double crosses and James' whereabouts.
"What do you want?" Jessie says irritably.
"I...I want to apologize to you for my earlier actions," Jessie can now see Officer Jenny has been crying, still is really.
"What happened to you? By rights I'm the one who ought to be weeping."
"Oh...I admire your partner too much, his looks, his polish. I'm a silly girl..." the tears start to fall again.
"Not silly at all, lots of girls find James attractive. So he is here after all?" Jessie is unsure how to react to this scene in front of her.
"Yes I am....I let jealousy, baseless jealousy, affect my judgement. I shouldn't keep two people who obviously care about each other about each other apart."
" What?" Jessie hears herself and wonders at her vehemence, "What did James say about us? We have a wonderful relationship as partners, but I don't want to misrepresent our status."
"James said you'd say as much," Jenny says sadly, "I understand about not wanting to be hurt. Boy do I ever." And she squeezes her eyes shut again, turns around and blows her nose delicately.
Jessie is starting to feel too committed to a relationship by this presuming lady cop. She starts a low simmer, but decides to keep silent about it. "So what are you going to do?" is all she ventures in a clipped tone.
Jenny looks up finally, "Well, I'm going to get you two together of course. If James isn't happy I can't be happy either."
"Hopeless little romantic!" Jessie says to herself. "Well, thank you, maybe you could tell me where Meowth is as well? he's a friend of mine too you know."
"He's in the local Pokémon Centre under the care of Nurse Joy until we locate his rightful owner."
"Surely he told you his owner is Giovanni of Viridian Gym."
"Uh huh, and he won't explain how he came to be in your company," nods Jenny.
"No, I suppose he wouldn't," mutters Jessie, "OK. I guess I'm ready for my change of address," she sighs.
Jenny unlocks the door and swings it open and Jessie steps into the hall. Jessie quickly considers her ability to overpower the distraught Jenny but relents. The young woman looks into her eyes, and she feels an unexpected kinship with the poor, desperate girl. "What is your problem?" she says almost as a defence against this feeling.
"Just like you I think, I'm greedy. My greed is for companionship, and yours is for fame and power," Jenny's warm brown eyes are suddenly calm.
"Oh Lord, you're right!" "I know."
They walk much of the rest of the way in silence, until Jessie can hold her peace no longer.
"Jenny if you're so obsessed about love why not the Brock kid? He seems pretty nice, and he practically throws himself at you."
Jenny knits her brow, she sighs, "I guess I want something I can't have."
Jessie closes her eyes, "I can identify with that."
"Here we are," Jenny says slowing her pace.
James peers out at them, "You two hitting it off?"
"Oh sure, " sighs Officer Jenny, "Just fine."
"Yeah, like sisters," notes Jessie letting her wry smile show for the first time in hours.
"Miss me?"
"Not as much as Ash likely missed Pikachu," he says deadpan. "Glad to have a familiar roommate."
Jenny is still looking rueful, tentatively interrupts the partners, "I'll leave you two to catch up. I've got some paperwork to take care of."
James watches her slowly leave and offers, "Thank you Jenny, you have a big heart."
"Yeah sure," she says to herself, "Yeah sure."
.......................................
"Poor girl" observes Jessie, "She's letting her heart have way to much say in her affairs."
"Aw c'mon Jess, she means well," James replies.
"Damning her with pretty faint praise lady killer," she retorts.
"I wasn't going to mislead her, even if it got me out of here," he offers defensively.
"Mislead her about what? You're making an awful lot of a business relationship aren't you?"
"Am I?" he leaves it at that.
She decides to change the subject, she's not going to wade into that swamp, "Well! I never thought I would find any pleasure in being put into a cell until now."
"It's good to see you Jess," James says with feeling.
"You're a sight for sore eyes yourself," a more sphinxlike Jessie returns.
"I was sure you got away clean, you were the one with the good maps and a route to the outpost. What happened?"
"Scruples happened. The sweet smell of success must've made me dizzy. I half buried that Brock lad in talus and couldn't leave it at that. No, our little Jessie had to get all noble with the main chance in her grasp," she recounts regretfully.
"So you helped him?"
"Yeah, he's not such a bad sort you know. He actually treated me like a person, one with feelings. Anyway, I stayed consistent, didn't run off or drag him with me, let him talk me into giving myself up, ostensibly because I ought to be with you. As if you haven't been a weight chained to my ankle all these years. But I decided to chance that he could influence Ash into dropping charges. That's me always a sucker when it really counts. So, here I am, fresh as rose after frost," she ends her soliloquy by throwing herself on the cot and facing the wall.
"So, I guess I should be jealous that you think Brock treats you as a person with feelings. The implication is I don't," James says a tad sniffily.
"Aw, James! I didn't mean it that way. You're the only person who has even made the attempt to understand me until this kid made some little effort. I believe you are jealous!" she colours as she speaks.
"What of it? It will be a bright day in the underworld before you ever warm up to anyone. That Jenny has more sympathy, sweetness, and vulnerability in her little fingernail than you have in your soul Jessie."
Where did that well up from? "Yes James and you must be so pleased that she's your victim! That's just it James, all you guys want are victims, well I won't go there!" Ah but she has, she realizes, she's waded deep into the swamp after all. She turns to the wall and sulks.
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