Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.
Chapter 3
Tricks and Treats
James arrived in Cerulean City after three days of driving, dead tired as he pulled up into the parking garage of the Pokemon Center , the noon sun shining brightly above the town. He walked in, Haunter floating behind him as he dragged his bags in, tired from his long trip. His step-mother's cousin, one of the many Joy's employed by every Pokemon Center, was sitting at the desk quietly.
"Hey Joy! It's me, James Hartman. I'm here." he called to her, smiling. The woman looked up, smiling at first, then screeched at the top of her lungs and leapt under her desk.
"Huh? What did I say….ay, oh darn. Haunter….of course, Haunter. Joy, you can come out. Haunter's with me, he's my friend." He sighed, plopping his bags on the desk. Joy came up slowly, her little fingers gripping the edge of her desk and blue eyes peering up at him. He was petting Haunter, smiling still as the ghost Pokemon kept laughing out its name.
"You're sure?" she asked, getting a nod. She stood up fully then, walking around the desk to extend a shaking hand. "My cousin told me a lot about you, but you're a lot taller than your pictures show. Not that it matters, James. I'm happy that you'll be working with me and the other doctors," she said nervously, still staring Haunter," Uh, do you have a beeper? Just in case of an emergency."
"Yep, I got it before I started working in the centers. It comes in handy. I don't really mind helping out. After all, I'm a doctor, Joy, not an insensitive jerk. Speaking of which, are there any Pokemon that need caring for?" he chuckled, pulling his hand back.
"Not really, with the festival and all, there haven't been many Pokemon battles in the gym, as if our gym leaders cared much about anything but how rich and pretty they are." She said sarcastically.
"I remember that trio of airheads. They didn't feel like battling until I insulted their hair, well, Daisy's hair. Vain people have lots of weaknesses, believe me, I know from experience. She was more than willing do defend her hairstyle against a man's insult than for her gym's reputation. Boy, she got so mad she tried to beat me up when I beat her Starmie. That was one of my more humorous matches." He chuckled.
"Did you apologize to her? Or was it not good enough?" Joy asked.
"I did, told her why I said it, but I never told her it was pretty. That burned her a little, but all's fair in Pokemon battles. Sometimes you have to be sneaky to get a battle out of unwilling players. So what's this festival about?" James asked, Haunter nudging into Joy's side suddenly.
"Oh, it's called the Water Flowers Festival, like a fair, but really extravagant. It has stands for food, prizes, jewelry, Pokemon, all the fun stuff around the Cerulean City Gym. There's a costume ball tonight to show off the Cerulean City Museum's latest find in the sea, a treasure chest that is going to be opened tonight. But, I can't go to it. I have to stay here, but its not like I want to go. I'm not a real party person." she explained, a smile finally appearing on her face.
"Heh, sounds like fun to me. I haven't been to a party in ages, let alone a festival. Would it be all right if I went? Just for the ball anyway. If there are no Pokemon to take care of, I mean."
Joy shrugged, giggling as Haunter gave her a hug. "Fine by me, just bring your beeper with you. Just in case, you know." She told him, patting Haunter lightly.
Haunter said his name again, almost purring, and went on nuzzling her. "Haunter has a thing for pretty ladies. He loved Mom to death, too much in fact. If I wasn't around, he'd follow her until he saw me….or any other female I happened to be around. Must a Pokemon thing. I dunno, Mom didn't seem to mind it as much as my girlfriends did," he said heartily," Well, I'd better go buy a costume real quick or I'll be stuck with something stupid like a duck or a chicken suit. Watch Haunter for me will you….and if any Pokemon are brought in, don't hesitate to beep me. Just give Mom a call and she'll give you the number."
"Sure, that'll be fine. Now shoo, James, or you'll be clucking your way into embarrassment at the ball." She laughed, watching him run out of the center as fast as he could.
Haunter stopped nuzzling her and went over to James' bags, lifting them up. "Haunt....haunt. Haunt haunt haunt." He said, floating over to the double doors beside the desk. "Whatever, Haunter, I don't speak ghost Pokemon yet, they never need hospital care. Just follow me, I'll show you to his locker." Joy sighed, pushing the doors open, letting Haunter float through.
~Meanwhile~
"This is too good to be true! An ancient treasure chest at the Cerulean City Gym. Pokemon and cash!" Butch beamed.
Cassidy nodded as they walked along the rafters. Team Rocket was doing well these days, and a job coming to any member was a Godsend regardless. Cassidy had to admit catching the more common, wild Pokemon was rather dull, even degrading, but this time Giovanni and fate had finally come through. Butch was right, the treasure chest and the gym leaders' Pokemon were a very sweet deal. The costume party would make it all the more simple for them to take everyone by surprise.
"Yeah, and we'll be perfectly disguised. Those dumb gym bimbos are so concerned with having a good time and showing off, they won't even notice Pokemon thieves entering their midst. Heh, I bet even Jessie or Meowth could get in here. This is going to be as easy as pie!" she chuckled, fixing her hair slightly as she stopped.
"Why'd you stop?" he asked.
"This is where the cables need to go, Butch, for our escape. A quick speech, but never drop your gun's sights from the crowd. I hit our handy remote and the cables come down to get us out of here. We have to get to the security room after this. Or if you'd like to save us some time, since you're the electronics whiz, go on ahead."
"Yeah, then we can spend more time prepping for the heist….Or eating. Doubt we'll get much in with those lame costumes we bought. I can't believe I have to go as a Psyduck." Butch moaned, shrugging it off as he stepped past her.
"You lost the coin toss, but don't think I'm in any better a position. I have to go in a chicken suit. We should have come to town earlier and bought costumes, but then again, the ones we have cover our faces, so if that witch Misty and her friend Ash are here, they can't pick us out of the crowd." Cassidy sighed, pulling the cables out of her backpack.
"Yeah, you have a point there. Well, see you in ten minutes. I'll have every door rigged on schedule. We'll make a killing here tonight, rich and full of this gym's prize Pokemon." He said, saluting before walking off towards for the vents.
When he found one and crawled through it, Cassidy went back to work on tightening the cables. "The boss will be rich beyond rich, that means more promotions for us. That'll put a Weedle in Jessie's shorts, the little kiss up. I'll prove to Giovanni that I'm better than her." She snickered, her eyes slanting wickedly.
~The Water Flowers Ball~
"Man, Haunter would be in heaven here, if that's possible. What a spread." James uttered as he entered the gym. During the most memorable time he'd been here, all he'd seen was a pool with a few dinky floating devices. He hadn't had any time to enjoy much else since he, Meowth and Jessie had been crashing through the wall and trying to steal their Pokemon.
'I'm lucky Misty's sisters are so stupid or they would recognized me when I battled them for my Cascade Badge. Heh, Misty would have, lucky for me she had locked herself in her room that day.' He thought, smiling to himself. He strode in steadily, getting a few smiles and waves from the party-goers.
He considered himself very lucky, the costume shop only had three left, a Psyduck, a chicken, and a sheik, as the owner put it. James said it looked like a desert nomad or a thief, briefly remembering he had once been a thief, but he bought it anyway. It had the tied on cloth as protection from the sun, another piece of cloth that covered his mouth, and the puffy clothing he'd seen in pictures of Arabian legends. He felt like Aladdin or one of the 40 thieves in it, but it beat having a duck or chicken head over his to cover his hair.
'I never would've lived the other ones down. I have to work here, for cryin' out loud, better a thief than poultry.' He mused, passing by and nodding at the guests as he made his way to the buffet table.
He was even more in awe as he reached it, more food than he'd ever seen in his life, even his graduation dinner hadn't been this spectacular. There were foods from exotic countries, drinks and fruits of every color, hors d'oeuvres, fish, meats, desserts, cocktails, and more. He felt as if his eyes would explode from trying to look at it all.
Other people were indulging in the delicacies, picking at each thing with their noses held high, laughing and waving their fingers at others. "This is a harsh reminder. I think I get the point, but I'm starved. Not like anyone's going to talk to me, nobody knows me." he sighed, pulling down the mouth mask and popped a strawberry into his mouth, then a few more.
"Maybe this costume thing won't be so bad….Maybe." he grinned, grabbing up a salmon puff from the next tray.