Disclaimer: I do not own anything of "Pokemon," but I own Piouso and Joy's boyfriend/husband, and daughter.
Chapter 5
Emerald Tears Shattering
"What do you mean he's gone?!" Ash hollered.
Nurse Joy looked stunned by his outburst, touching her chest gently in surprise. "He left a few hours ago. He said he had to leave on an emergency case, a private one. I'm not allowed to tell anyone where he is." She said in an annoyed tone.
"But its very important, Nurse Joy. He's….he's in terrible danger." Misty piped up suddenly, shoving Ash away. Tears filled her crystalline blue eyes, her lips quivering with sorrow. "Really? From who? Who are you to him?" Joy asked, her eyes curious.
"We're very dear friends of his, and we don't want him to get hurt or arrested." Misty cried, waving his wallet in her face. "Arrested? What for?" Joy gasped.
"His wallet, we caught the thieves who took it from him, but then they escaped us. They said they would hurt him when they found him. We've got to return his wallet to him and warn him of the danger he's in. Please, if you have any compassion, you have to tell us where he's gone! It's a matter of life and death!" Misty wailed, the tears flowing faster.
"Ok….ok, he's in Lavender Town for his relocation. He's at least a day away. If you can help him, please do so. He's such a sweet young man. He doesn't deserve to be hurt after all the fine work he's done for his patients." Joy wept, tears now streaming down her cheeks.
"Thank you, don't you worry Joy, we'll take very good care of James. Bye!" she sniffled, quickly dragging Ash out of the Pokemon Center.
"Hmm, what nice young people. It's rare to be so caring for one person's welfare. How sweet." Joy sighed, waving at them kindly.
Misty kept weeping until she and Ash were out of Joy's view, wiping the tears away and running swiftly down the street.
"Nice job, Misty. Didn't know you had it in you to be so deceptive." Ash commented.
Misty didn't smiled, but replied with," I wasn't lying completely. We do need to find him and keep him from getting hurt by Team Rocket. They didn't seem too happy to see him. And Jessie told us he died in an explosion the last time we battled her. He looks pretty lovely…..uh lively….for a dead man. We catch him first in Lavender Town and find out what he's up to, agreed?" Misty explained.
"Oh, whatever. Doctor or not, he's still the enemy. Let's get back to your house and change, then we'll take my car to Lavender Town." Ash puffed out, sprinting ahead of Misty.
"Yeah, you got it." she replied, a sad look in her eyes. 'James….what are you really up to? Why didn't you run from me the first time….why did….you kiss me?' she thought to herself, looking up dreamily at the starry sky as she ran on.
Two heads poked out from beside the Pokemon Center as she vanished over the horizon, their eyes slanting down wickedly. "Lavender Town….huh? And he's a doctor now? My, my, James has been a busy little boy. The boss isn't going to like hearing this or that we failed." Butch grumbled, his fists clenched.
Cassidy patted him on the shoulder, smiling. "Yeah, but Jessie will be even more ticked off, and she knew how to control him. Even better, she's already in Lavender Town poisoning the river. We'd better call the boss on the way to Lavender Town so dear Jessica knows to expect us." Cassidy chimed out, and they both ran off through the dark alley.
~Lavender Town~
*Two Days Later*
"Ash, would you keep your head down. He's going to see us." Misty whispered, yanking Ash back down into the bushes. It had been a long and tedious trip, Ash talking about how many different Pokemon he was going to beat James up with after he was done with him, then went onto hogging the phone to talk to Vera. Misty didn't know how long they'd talked, but it was enough kissy noises and pet names to drive her insane. She hypothesized that the walls of the hotel must have been made out of paper.
She was glad when they arrived in Lavender Town late in the afternoon the next day, sleeping for a few hours next to the Pokemon Center, in Ash's car. His snoring was slightly more tolerable than his late night phone calls to Vera. She was ready to strangle him if she hadn't seen James pass by the alley with a ghost Pokemon trailing behind him, a small metal case in his hands. Misty had to kick Ash awake and get him up to tailing James.
Now they were watching James taking out samples in test tubes at different sections of the river, a Haunter carrying the little case around still, putting it down every so often. What puzzled them was that he was talking to Haunter as if he was a person, and the Haunter would respond simply with its own language and James would reply as if he understood.
That had been roughly two hours ago, and now James was filling the test tubes with colored tablets and fluids, the color of the water changing almost randomly. Haunter was watching him, as were a few new ghostly guests that decided to join the pair, Gengar and Ghastly. Those two ghost Pokemon were swirling around Haunter and James like darkly glowing windstorms, laughing out their names and frightening any other Pokemon that came near them.
"It looks like a meeting or something, but what are the test tubes for?" Misty whispered.
"He's probably planning to make some kind of potion to hurt Pokemon or control them. He's James, does it need to be anything else?" Ash hissed.
"Ash! Keep your voice down….and quit making accusations. Why would the Pokemon Center give him a few vials, bottles, and glass tubes to take over the Pokemon world? Do you have any idea how stupid that sounds?" Misty shushed him, her eyes going back on James. Haunter and the others were no longer with him, but he hadn't seemed to notice, still staring at a vial of water that had turned black.
"This is not good. Someone's poisoned the water, but the toxic pattern is familiar. I have to take this back to the Pokemon Center….but maybe a few more tests will make the lab tests easier." James was saying, putting a cork in the test tube's opening and placing it back in the small metal box. He took out another vial of water and a bright red tablet.
As he dropped the tablet in, the once clear liquid turned black again, and James started biting his lip. "Not good at all. I have to bring this back now." He told himself, corking the tube shut and putting it in the box. He shut it tightly, looking around himself steadily. "Haunter! Time to go! Tell your friends good-bye for now!" he called out, standing up slowly.
His back turned to them and he started calling out again. Then, to Misty's horror, Ash started lifting his head up again.
"Cut it out! Do you want him to run again?" she hissed out.
"Stop worrying, there's no way he can see or hear us. Just relax," He whispered out, yelping a little as Pikachu started pulling on his hair," Pikachu, quit it."
"HAUNTER!!" a voice screamed, sending Misty and Ash leaping out of the bushes in fright. James' hair stood on end a moment before he whipped around to face them. Misty could have died as the color drained from James' face, his jaw dropping.
"Misty?! Ash! How'd you find me!?" he screeched, backing up as Haunter re-materialized beside him.
"Yeah, James, we tracked you down here to stop you from going through with your plans. Never thought we'd find you, huh? Not only am I a Pokemon Master, but an excellent detective too!" Ash boasted.
"For Pete's sake, Ash, we have his wallet. It doesn't take a genius to use that….Hey, where's James?" Misty shouted, her head whipping in every direction. "He made a run for it. See there he goes!" Ash shouted, running beside the river. Misty went after him, seeing he was right. James was running away from them with the small metal box, Haunter no longer with him.
"You won't get away, James! Venusaur, I choose you!" Ash shouted, tossing his Pokeball square into James' back making him stumble a bit.
"Venusaur!" announced the Pokemon.
"Venusaur, Vine whip! Catch that creep!" Ash commanded, and Venusaur did so, shooting out its brown vines, lassoing James' legs, then his arms to his sides, sending him crashing into the ground. The small metal box hit the ground as well, but it didn't open as it bounced across the grass hard.
"OW! Haunter! You and your practical jokes! Next time lick people spying on me!" James screamed, rolling onto his back to see an angry looking Ash and a confused Misty standing over him. "Hold him, Venusaur. He has a lot of explaining to do." Ash said grimly.
"I do not. You'll just twist my words so you have an excuse to beat me up." James muttered, wriggling against the vine ropes about him. "Oh yes you do, like what you were doing at Misty's sisters' big ball? Huh? Trying to steal the treasure all by yourself and Butch and Cassidy got in your way is what I say happened."
James smirked, then looked at Ash as he rolled his eyes. "I went for the food, for fun. I don't do crime anymore. I just went for a short vacation, that's it! I didn't plan on those rejects crashing the party. I wasn't even going to help….until they threatened to….hurt people." He drawled out, turning his head towards the river, away from them both.
Misty took a step forward, pulling his wallet out of her duffel bag, rubbing it hard with her now sweaty fingers. "You're sure….that's it? Didn't you think my sisters or I would be there? They would have recognized you."
"You and Daisy didn't, then again, you were fighting in front of me. And that's why I was wearing the sheik costume, so you wouldn't see my hair. Lot of good it did me when I got hungry, and danced and….umm, never mind." James said, sweat forming on his face.
Ash grabbed him by the head and made him look at them. "Yeah, like we believe that. Venusaur, put the squeeze on him. Maybe then he'll start telling the truth." Ash ordered.
James' eyes bulged, tears pouring out from them as his teeth grit hard. "ACK! I'm telling the truth! Stop it!" he screamed, struggling harder," Or else."
"Or else what? Haunter abandoned you and you can't reach your Pokeballs either. I doubt a little weirdo like you can even challenge Venusaur. I dare you to try anything, come on!" Ash taunted.
"Ash, stop it! You said we'd get him to talk, not kill him. Stop it already, you big jerk!" Misty shouted, yanking Ash away.
"You should listen to her, 'Ashley.' She's got more brains than you'll ever have, at least she's not abusing her Pokemon privileges. You're never supposed to use your Pokemon for personal conflicts, especially, *gasp*, not on doctors either! Don't make me hurt your Pokemon!" James warned, his face turning red.
"Try me. Go ahead, I dare you. You haven't got the grapes to do it, or the ability." Ash grumbled, shoving Misty away, right into a tree.
"Argh! So be it!" James choked out, his face going blue as the vines tightened," Haunter, Dream Eater!"
Haunter materialized as his name was called, hovering over Venusaur with a blackness forming about him. They became black orbs that seemed to melt into Venusaur's skin. Ash could only stare as his Pokemon got a surprised look on its face, then total fear. It began screeching out its name, the vines loosening around James.
"What the heck is Dream Eater?" Ash gasped, whipping out his Pokedex, lifting it up towards Haunter.
'*Beep* Dream Eater, this gas Pokemon's most effective attack. It sucks out the opponent's soul, putting them into eternal sleep.' his Pokedex clicked out, Ash's face going white.
"Their soul!? No! Venusaur! Resist it!" Ash cried out, but it didn't do his Pokemon any good. It was already too weak to stand up, slumped on the ground limply as Haunter continued its attack. James had already gotten free and on his feet, and was now staring at them both. "Haunter, cancel your attack. Time to jet!" he ordered and sprint off past them. The Haunter obeyed him as its attack halted and went after him.
"OH, Venusaur! Are you ok?" Ash yelped, stumbling towards his injured Pokemon. "Ve….venus….aurrrrr." it croaked out, breathing shallowly.
"He didn't kill it. He cut off the attack when he was winning….James could have killed Venusaur, but he didn't. Don't you see, Ash, he might just be telling the truth." Misty rang out, patting the grass Pokemon's cold head.
"Yeah, maybe, but we have to get Venusaur to the Pokemon Center right now or he will die. And that means James has nowhere to run if he is what he says he is," Ash said quietly," But until then, Venusaur, return!"
~The Warehouse District~
Butch was sitting languidly in a cut up old easy chair while Cassidy adjusted their video-link to headquarters. He got out of it when Cassidy threw a Pokeball at his face for not helping, forcing him to kneel down and help her out.
"It's done, no thanks to you. You're starting to get very lazy, Butchy." Cassidy hissed, her fingers poking at the controls angrily. The screen fizzed for a while, then the two saw their boss sitting, as usual, in his throne-like chair, his Persian laying peacefully in his lap.
"It's been a long time, you two. Were there any problems with the treasure heist?" he asked, petting the Persian delicately. Butch looked at Cassidy, who in turn looked at him, their expressions nervous.
"Well? ANSWER ME!" Giovanni shouted.
"Sorry boss, but we didn't get the treasure and some real bad news that prevented us from getting it. Still, we went back for the treasure, but it was worthless, just a bunch of dresses and silk shirts worn way back when. Not even the lock was made of gold, eh, heh, heh. So you can see why it's not a total loss." Butch chuckled out, sweat streaming down his face.
"I'm still not happy that you FAILED!" their boss screamed, slamming his hand on his throne," So what is this other bad news!? If it's that Ash brat or Jessie, I don't want to hear about it!"
"It's much worse than that, sir. Its….well, its James." Cassidy put in, gulping as Giovanni made a slight strangled choke. "James? What about him? You found more body parts, correct?"
"No sir, we found all of him, very intact and alive. He's been hiding from us all this time….and….you won't believe this, he's a doctor. We're in the town he fled to after the Cerulean City thing." Butch drawled out.
"Has he talked?" Giovanni asked.
"We aren't sure, but he has some very high level Pokemon. We followed him here to Lavender Town and copied off his file at the Pokemon Center, when he left to take samples of the river water. Jessie and Meowth's handiwork, I presume." Cassidy added, pushing Butch aside.
"Mmm, you have to bring him back, we have to make sure he hasn't talked before we re-fire him. And yes, Jessie is stationed where you are. Are you saying she's close to being discovered?" he asked.
"No sir, but we, as much as this will shock you, need those two to help us capture James. Maybe we could use his new talents to the fullest. Think of all the medical bills you'd save on with him back under your thumb, and his Pokemon can steal thousands more if we motivate him in the proper manner." Cassidy smiled.
"You have my interest, Cassidy. How will we get him to come back? And don't make up stupid elixirs and gases to do the trick. I tire of such foolishness." Their boss grumbled, the Persian wide awake now and nuzzling against him.
"We copied his personal file from the Pokemon Center, sir, and it had a delightful phone number that's in Sunnytown. We found out he has a little sister, as well as new parents. And at the party, he was making out with that pest Cerulean Gym leader, Misty. If we could kidnap them all, hold them hostage, he would have to give in to us. There's no way James would let innocent people be hurt over him. He proved that much when he saved that red-headed goody-two shoes from Charizard, and all those guests he didn't know. Believe me, sir, I have a good feeling this will really work, for the benefit of evil." Butch explained soundly, gaining a nod from Cassidy as he went on looking up at Giovanni's image with earnest.
"Not bad, but why waste such a good plan right now? Keep tailing him, with Jessie and Meowth from now on. If the lot of you can't force him to come back, knock that nitwit out and then kidnap all of these….hmmph….special people. You have your orders, get going and don't you dare fail me again. Over and out!" he hissed, the screen going blank in a flash.
"You heard him, Butch. Let's get to the reservoir and tell Jessie. I can't wait to see the expression on her face when we tell her that James is still alive. She'll freak….then she'll beat the living daylights out of that traitor." Cassidy grinned, slapping Butch on the back.
"Yeah, then we get some payback too. Show that back-stabber what it means to cross us." Butch added, raising his fist up high.
~
"What do you mean you don't want me to go in? Venusaur's going to die if I don't get him in there, Misty! The Center is going to close soon!" Ash shouted, shoving the Pokeball in her face.
"You tried to kill James back there! And that's not like you! That was downright homicidal! You're not interrogating him again, I am." She stated.
"I'm going in too then. I don't trust that weirdo!" Ash countered. Misty shook her head, snatching his Pokeball away from him.
"You are not, not until you cool down! I'm doing the interrogating from now on if you're going act so insane," she scolded, backing up towards the glass doors," You just hate him because he and Jessie fooled you so many times with their disguises. And they got you to wear a dress! It was for the sake of your Pokemon, for you both."
"He's still a jerk and weirdo. You don't how humiliating and nauseating he is to me. He hasn't kissed you on the cheek! He's a demented fruitcake." Ash growled.
"That's….not the point," she said, blushing," It doesn't matter, beating the snot out of him isn't going to tell us anything except that we're cruel, worse than he ever was. I won't let you go in, Ash!"
"Try and stop me!" Ash challenged, his head lifting up as the Pokemon Center started to close up. "I will. Like so!" she growled, kicking him in the groin. Ash shrieked loudly, falling to his knees, forced to watch in pain as Misty ducked into the Center, the metal gate blocking his way inside.
"Whew! Never thought anything could hurt that muscle head," Misty breathed, looking back at the metal gate," Well, if he's not here, I'm in for a long and boring night."
"Chansey…." Said a chirpy little voice. Misty looked before her to see the pink, egg shaped Pokemon in nurse attire, the little egg in its pouch, smiling at her. "Is uh….darn, I never really learned Pokemon language, but, would you nod if Dr. James Hartman is still here?"
The Chansey nodded. "Chansey!" it beamed, taking the Pokeball from her. "Oh, well, the attack was Dream Eater. My friend was using his Venusaur to….catch a Haunter, it didn't want to be caught. So, can you do anything to help it? Oh, and tell me where James is?" she asked, getting another nod and the Chansey started to waddle off towards the emergency ward double doors. Misty pushed it open for the Chansey, following it down the long dim hallway.
After a few minutes, they reached a maternity ward, passing by a large window shielding eggs and babies, and numerous other Pokemon newborns. They were all quiet, which was eerie. Pokemon babies had the same habits as humans, crying or howling out whatever they could. It seemed strange to Misty that none of the babies were crying or even cooing at all.
"Chansey! Chansey!" her guide chirped out, pointing towards a smaller window on the opposite wall. Misty crept up to it, and peered inside cautiously. James was in the room she was looking into with a large Arbok, one that was very much in pain. Poison was leaking out of its mouth, but there was a glass tub under its bed catching it, sizzling and bubbling with it toxic juice.
"Arbooooooookkkk!" it moaned, its shining purple body writing in agony, but James just patted its head with one rubber gloved hand.
"Shhh, I know it hurts, but you're almost through. Childbirth is painful, but it'll be over soon. Begging for your death is not going to make it end any sooner." He told it, the Arbok calming a little, then it made a face as James took out another shimmering egg.
Misty watched in awe as he and another Chansey assistant took great care with each egg, as if they were made of gold. He took out ten more eggs before he stopped reaching his hands in. "Ok, Arbok, its all done. Your babies are going to the incubation room, they'll hatch in the best of care, trust me. Your owner will be very proud of you, so many babies from such a slim figure." James commented, administering a shot into Arbok's coils.
It looked up at him, flitting its tongue out gently, and weakly cracking a smile. "Arbok….Bok. Arbok." It said weakly, then fell slowly to sleep. "Yeah, don't you worry, I won't break any of them. And trust me, Joy will see you out by tomorrow afternoon." He offered, patting its head gently, before walking away.
Misty heard a sink being turned on, then James' humming. She started to back up, turning towards the Chansey, but it was gone. 'It had better things to do, like saving Venusaur. You came here to confront James, just wait for him to come out and he's trapped. He wouldn't dare make a scene in a hospital.' She thought, moving away from the window into the center of the hall.
Chapter 5
Tale of a Pokemon Thief
Misty waited patiently, listening to the ruffling of clothing and the light clanging of medical instruments. James' soft footsteps sounded within after a while, getting closer to the door with each step. The door swung in gently, James backing out quietly without his hospital uniform on, just a lavender shirt and black jeans, his hair a little messy, probably from being stuffed in the surgical cap. His eyes were aimed inside the room, a small smile crossing his lips. 'Looking after his patient. What could have made him change from a vain jerk into a gentle humanitarian?' she wondered, remaining still as he shut the door.
He turned slowly, his eyes moving up, and then he saw her. He froze, looking about ready to run, but all he did was stand there, his emerald eyes filling with fear. She raised up her arms slowly, shaking her head. "James, I didn't come here to hurt you. I swear." She told him.
He was still motionless, watching her every move. "Yeah? Then why are you here anyway? To turn me in? Is Ash waiting in the lobby to kick the stuffing out of me again?" he asked, his voice suspicious.
"No….no, James. I'm here alone. I came to get Venusaur fixed up….and….to talk with you. No battles or anything, just to talk. Plain and simple." She explained, taking a cautious step towards him.
James was still in place as she stepped up to him. She pulled off her duffel bag and tossed it to his feet. "See? All my Pokeballs are in there. You can see for yourself. I only want to talk, James, that's it. You can tie me up if it makes you feels better, just don't run. Please." She pleaded.
He looked down at the bag, poking it with his shoe, then looked back up at her, his body relaxing. "Pick up your stuff….*sigh*….and follow me." he said quietly, turning around slowly. He walked away from her, looking back every so often at her cautiously. She grabbed up her bag and jogged after him, following him through the dimly lit halls.
They went on walking for several minutes before James stopped next to a door with a Snorlax sign painted on it. He turned the knob, then held it open for Misty, keeping his eyes fastened on her as she passed him into the room. He shut it quietly behind him, locking the door.
Misty saw that there were many cots in the room, with fluffy white pillows and blankets. She looked back, seeing James leaning on the doorway with an almost defeated look on his face.
"It's where I sleep, and any trainers who don't want to be far from their Pokemon. It's not like my bed back home, but I'm not complaining as long as I get some rest. Pick any one you like, then we can talk." He drawled out, pushing at the lone lock of hair that hung down the center of his face.
Misty nodded, sitting down on the first cot she passed. James sat down in front of her, his fingers twisting together nervously. "James, I'm not Ash or the cops. I just want to talk….about what you've been doing these past ten years. Jessie did say you died in an explosion….not that she sounded too broken up about it." Misty sighed, trying to make eye contact.
"I'm not surprised. She left me for dead anyway on that island." He grumbled. Misty put her hands on his and squeezed them gently. "What happened to you, James? Jessie never really had time to tell us anything….we were to busy battling her, before I had to return home." She admitted, shrugging slightly.
"I bet she didn't tell you why we were on the island, now did she?" James offered, Misty shaking her head," I thought not. For the best of friends, she sure didn't act like one. It was on an uncharted island, a ways from Sunny Town, shrouded in mist. Our boss….Giovanni had fired us, but was willing to give one of us a second chance. Only one, the other one would be shot through the brain and left to rot on the island. Get a Pokemon or get a bullet, either way, me and Jessie were bound to be separated. I found Jessie after hours of walking, screaming how happy she was….that she was going to live….but we'd agreed before we left that if either of found a Pokemon, we'd call out to the other. We promised each other we would…."
"And she didn't." It was a statement, not a question. Misty could tell from the way his voice was cracking, struggling not to cry, that Jessie had hurt him then, that she'd lied to James in the worst way.
He nodded, rubbing his throat for a moment, then coughed. "Yeah, she just ran off, not even calling my name. It hurt, not just the fact that I was going to die, but….the fact the only friend I had after I ran away from home had stomped on our friendship like it was yesterday's garbage. I decided to hide in the ruins she came out of with her Pokemon, for as long as I could until they'd come after me, but my luck….I wandered for a long time, till I reached a dark room….lit a match….and boom! Everything went up, even me. I would have drowned if it hadn't been for Nurse Joy and her boyfriend. They got me to a hospital….and even took me in because I had nowhere to go. She took on the role of being a mother to me."
"How sweet, but didn't she recognize you from the bike gang?" Misty asked, James finally looking up at her.
"Maybe, but she never said anything. She welcomed me into her home with open arms, I was very touched. I even got a few part-time jobs after a few weeks, and a haircut. I was being given a second chance at life, and I wasn't going to screw it up like the last time. I saved for a year or so, and Joy even donated a little to get me into to Pokemon Technical. The students knew who I was picked on me, beat me up, but I wasn't going to go back to the life I lived before. I couldn't, Misty, I had to show Joy how much I appreciated her and her boyfriend caring for me, like I was their real child. I couldn't let them down."
"Seeing you now, I guess you did pretty well." Misty smiled, and James returned it, tilting his head to the side. "Yeah, better than any of the other students expected. I passed just as good as anyone on my own. No help from anyone, and I passed all the way to graduation….and I went home, attended Mom's wedding. I felt like I really had a life, a family. I had a mother, then a father, and later on my Mom had a daughter, Kara, my first little sister….but….well, with family and all, I didn't feel like I was contributing enough. I wanted to do more, to do better, so I enrolled in Pokemon Medical. I signed up for grants and scholarships….everything to pave my way through medical school. It took a longer time than Pokemon Tech., but it was worth it. I got my license….and I made money for the family in helping out with Mom's practice. I know you'll think me selfish when I say this, but don't worry, you're not the only one. I still wasn't happy."
"Why the heck not? You had access to the Pokemon League, the Centers, a family, what more could you have wanted?" Misty asked.
"I wanted real freedom, Misty. I was still looking over my shoulder at night, no matter where I was. I was afraid all the time that Team Rocket would find me….kill me, then my family. I left home after medical school cause I was so scared, to do what you, Ash, Brock, and Tracey did. My own Pokemon journey, I caught my own Pokemon with the ones the school gave me, battled the gym leaders and earned my badges. Just anything to keep myself away from home, so my family would be safe. I didn't want them to get hurt over me, and it made me very paranoid. It is my fault that they know I'm alive. I shouldn't have let my guard down for a stupid party. Now all my worst fears are going to come to life." He muttered, his head sinking down into his hands, then looked up a little.
"It was nice to be the hero for once. For ten years, I've just been James Hartman, from student to doctor, I've never been anyone's hero till a few days ago….it cost me my secret identity, but I guess it was worth it to do what you all did in the past. It felt good." He said, smiling gently.
"Eh….yeah, heroism has its perks….doesn't it?" Misty chuckled, blushing a little. He noticed it, and blushed brightly, rubbing his nose nervously. "Well, back on the subject, I guess I'll have to take out Team Rocket now instead of waiting them out. Now that they know I survived, hiding won't work anymore, but it won't be as prepared as I'd hoped it would be. I don't have enough money to do it perfectly….I'm stilling paying my debt to society with most of my paychecks. To every gym and town me and Jessie caused damage in….it was the least I could do to make up for my past evils." He sighed, lifting head back up fully to hers.
"That's very noble of you, James. Funny how near death experiences can change your perspective. I never would have thought you even had a heart for anything except yourself." she chirped out, patting him on the shoulder. She felt him twitch slightly, the muscle hardening under the skin, but he didn't push her away.
"Hey, that's not fair. Don't you remember when we all had to help Pokemon at the human hospital? I showed I cared enough to help Pokemon that weren't my own. I even begged Ash to give Togepi to Meowth because he took such good care of it." he shot back, looking hurt.
She smirked at him, saying," And I recall that you and Jessie tried to steal all of the Pokemon at the hospital and you didn't bother to help Meowth battle us for Togepi, now did you?"
"Well," he sighed," You're still not being fair. I was a dumb kid then, I would have listened to any half-baked idea Jessie, Meowth, and Giovanni would tell me to follow. I was getting paid to do what they said then, not for what I said. I didn't have the strongest backbone then, I admit, so it was my fault for listening to their dribble, and might I add that Meowth said he didn't want my or Jessie's help to get Togepi and it was Jessie's idea to steal the Pokemon. I was rarely allowed to have any plans. I was stupid, ok?! Stupid!"
Misty was quiet a moment, then opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "It is my fault, I know that, I always have, but I'm trying to make up for it all. I really am. I'm going to be paying for long time for not thinking for myself. I was always following the crowd, trying to fit in….when I ran away it was Jessie for a long time, then the bike gang, then Team Rocket….none of it was my own choice, I just followed Jessie because she was all I ever had. These past ten years have been great, making my own decisions, my own life made by me only. I'm ashamed of my past and so would everyone else who came to respect me. They'd hate me if they ever knew."
He was crying a little, as if it hurt to even talk about. It wasn't like his usual tears, it was slow, his nose and eyes a little red. "James, I'm sorry."
"Why? You didn't make me who I am." He countered, wiping his tears away gingerly. "No, if I had just left Team Rocket alone at the party, you never would have been discovered. Your life sounds so nice, and I ruined it by trying to save the day on my own." She mumbled, lifting her hand to his cheek, catching some tears on her fingertips.
"I never thought I'd ever hear you take the blame for an idiot like me," he chuckled, taking her hand in his gently.
Misty smiled warmly at him, touched by the pain in his eyes. She leaned in towards him, taking his lips in hers slowly for a long time. She felt his hand squeeze hers, then it trailed down her arm, gently across the skin. His arms encircled her waist, rubbing her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the kiss deepening. 'I can't believe who I'm kissing! If he wasn't so sweet and cute, and such a good kisser….Oh, I'd kick his butt.' She thought, feeling his hands go through her hair.
He was kissing her back, like in the pool, with more feeling than the first. She wondered if he was just trying to make her pity him or if he was seducing her, but she pushed those thoughts away quickly. He'd been afraid and nervous the first time they'd kissed, fighting her to keep from getting close, but she hadn't known who he was then, though she'd liked him anyway. As much as she'd tried to hate him, to remember who he'd been, she couldn't help but feel bad for him, or care for him.
She felt him pulling away from her, his bottom lip brushing against her chin. She opened her eyes at last to see his staring right at her, his mouth curved into a smile. She blushed, ducking her head shyly.
"Where's Ash?" she heard him ask.
"Ash? Oh Ash, he's….uh, outside. He was still, well, kind of in a the mood to hurt you still, so I had to….humble him so he'd get locked out." she shrugged.
"What did you do?" he asked curiously.
"Kicked him in the groin." She chirped, trying to look innocent..
"You little minx. Still as tough as ever….but enough chit chat. I have a long day tomorrow….and I have to explain things to Ash….as much as you think I should anyway. We'd best get some shut eye." He coughed, looking a little embarrassed.
"Yeah, we should," she sighed, getting under her covers quickly," See you in the morning….James."
He nodded, going over to the light switch, smacking it off, then all was dark. She heard his footsteps approaching her, then felt a light kiss on her cheek.
"Good night, Misty." He said, then she heard nothing.
~
Misty woke up at noon the next day, alone. She leapt off her cot with a start as she saw James' was empty, the sheets hanging off the side. 'He better not have run off again. Then no kiss in the world will keep me from beating him to a bloody pulp.' She thought, stumbling towards the door.
She ran out and down the halls, peering in every window she passed, but no James. She finally burst out of the emergency doors, slipping to a stop. She fell right on her rear in her haste, but her eyes were pleased with what she saw.
"Yes, she was an excellent patient. It was painful, but she was the proud mother of 85, and in a few months, 85 healthy little baby Ekans. You're on you way to better breeding, Tara." James was saying, to a rather tall blonde girl wearing a blue shirt with a smiley face on it, her jeans hugging her legs tightly.
"Thank you, Dr. Hartman. I'm so glad you came on such short notice. Arbok doesn't like coming to the center, hates any other humans to touch it but me. I'm happy that she's learned to trust at least one doctor." She chirped out, her blue eyes shining up at him.
"Anything for a Pokemon, Tara, it's what I was trained to do. You just give Arbok her painkillers and the diet she always receives, then she'll be as right as rain. If she's still in pain after the medicine is gone, bring her back and we'll check on her to see if she needs more painkillers. No battling whatsoever now, Tara. She'll rupture her reproduction system or worse, she'll start bleeding. Absolutely no stress, all right?" he said sternly.
The girl nodded and walked out the door, then turned, winked and blew him a kiss. She was gone after that and James walked back to the desk, his face full of disgust. "Bimbo. That Arbok is lucky it even made it to the emergency room." He mumbled, then saw Misty on the floor.
"How long have you been there?" he asked, helping her to her feet. "Long enough to see another ridiculous flirt." She grumbled.
"I get it all the time, I think its either my hair or that I'm a doctor. Some girls dig rich guys, especially when they're so young. It's a gift and curse sometimes, and it makes what I do very difficult with some floozy grabbing my butt while her Pokemon is dying. Makes for quite a lawsuit too." He shrugged, letting go of her hand gently, then moving behind the desk, punching something on the computer.
She stepped up beside him, staring at him. "How many?"
He looked back at her a moment, then back to the computer. "How many what?"
"Women? How many of them have you dated?" she asked, more earnestly now.
"Ah, you did have more questions then….Kind of personal, but I get that from a lot of girls. To be frank with you, at least 12, give or take a few disasters." He said plainly.
"What disasters?" she yelped.
"One named Haunter, or they just couldn't take my paranoia any more. None of them liked Haunter, that much was true. He freaked them out and they couldn't get used to his pranks….or the gaseous smell he gave off sometimes. I got used to it, but they refused to. Some would just up and leave cause Haunter wouldn't, or the usual edginess I had a tendency to show off. Color me crazy, but I had other things on my mind than keeping a date." He smirked, shutting the computer off.
He moved away from her, shrugging out of his lab coat. He was wearing a purple button down shirt and dark jeans, and sneakers, pleasant in color and style from the doctor uniform he usually wore. She smiled, he was as handsome as ever, not as ditsy and weird as she kept remembering him as a boy. He wasn't even touching his hair, a mess of tangles and sweat, the vanity he'd once had seemed distant.
"You're already done?" she asked, trotting after him back through the emergency ward.
"I work the night shift, and this was a temporary job. I was to come and find what the cause for the so-called stomach flu that's been ravaging the Pokemon of the area. It was poison derived from an Arbok's venom, toxic to other Pokemon and humans," he sighed, entering the employee locker room," Its also easily cured by some antidotes and super potions. I'm going to the next town that needs my services, Celadon City."
Misty kept with him, watching him stuff his lab coat into his bags, then slamming the locker shut.
"An Arbok, huh? You think its Jessie's?" she asked, stepping back as his face soured.
"I wouldn't put it past her or the boss. I don't know how they'd get rich quick with that one, seems pretty vicious even for Team Rocket. I have other sick Pokemon to check on before I leave, since the hospital now knows to search the river and reservoir, and they know how to cure the sickness. If it is Jessie, I want to get as far away from this town as possible, with or without Haunter. He always catches up with me anyway." he shrugged, walking back out and towards the lobby again.
"What about….me….and Ash? We could help you. Three people get along a lot better than one against….well, who knows how many Rocket members are after you right now." She piped, grabbing him by the arm as he entered the hallway.
He stopped, then looked back at her hand as it held him, and up to her eyes. "You feeling suicidal or something? I'm going it alone, Misty. I don't want anyone hurt because of me. I have to do this on my own." He told her, yanking his arms away from her and stalked back down the hall.
She went after him, trying to keep in step with him. "Why? Why just you!?" she snapped. He didn't stop, only looked at her, pain filling his emerald eyes.
"Because it's my problem. I was in Team Rocket, I ran from them, not you. I have to deal with it, this is all my fault that I'm in this stupid mess." He retorted.
"I don't care, you can't make us stop following. I….we want to help you. If you're against Team Rocket, then we have to join you. What do you think me and Brock and Ash do when we're not home? We're stopping them as best we can whenever we can. Don't give me this crud that you have to go alone. 'This is my fight, I can't let you get involved, blah, blah, etc. etc.' Oh, if I had a dime for every time a guy said that to me, I'd be rich." She countered
"Did I say you were weak? NO! I said this is my problem, therefore I solve it. I don't want anyone to get hurt or involved with this. If they see either of you helping me, you…..your families, friends, their necks will go right on the chop with mine. No thanks, just stay clear of me until I finish this….or it finishes me." he pleaded.
"You're being stupid now!" she yelled as they came back into the lobby, Joy sitting calmly at the desk, until she heard them yelling.
"What? Why am I stupid!?" he shot back, slamming his bags on the ground.
"Taking all this pressure on your own just because you used to be one of them. Please! Spare me, James, Team Rocket already has us on their hit list cause we've stopped them so many times, and they never come after us. How's this any different? I'll tell you, it isn't because Team Rocket could care less about little people like us. Pokemon trainers are nothing to them unless they wear a big fat red 'R' on their chests and have rare Pokemon," she shrieked, wagging her finger at him," We're nothing to them, James, they only want you because you know more about them anyone outside the team. You need our help, whether you think so or not! Even if I have to tie myself to you motorcycle and ski behind you, I'm going. And so is Ash."
James just stared at her, wincing a little while she screamed. Joy was staring at them in alarm, her hand on her cheek as she shook her head. "You really want to come with me? Its not to make sure I don't go back to them, is it?" he asked, picking up his bags again.
"No, its to make sure you come back alive….I….care too much about you to see you lose all you've worked for, to lose your family….because you went it alone. I want to help, and I know I can convince Ash to help. Please, James, you don't have to take all the burden by yourself. Let us help you." she said, in a more pleading voice, her hands clasped together.
He looked at the floor a moment, biting his lip. A thick lock of hair fell across his cheek, innocence glowing on his face as he thought there, Misty only watching and waiting as he stood there, still as a statue.
"Misty….?" He said quietly.
"Yes?!" she chirped.
"Ok….you and Ash can come, but it's your funeral. But I have a few rules….Maybe its best I tell you and Ash together than have to repeat myself to the brute." He said, giving her a faint smile.
"All right! Sure…." She beamed, grabbing him in a big hug," He's waiting in the alley outside, its where we parked. I promise, I'll make him understand."
"Yeah, just so long as his Venusaur doesn't give me another hug. I prefer yours, specifically." He chuckled, kissing her forehead softly.
"Thanks, James….And speaking of which, we better get Venusaur or Ash will accuse you of stealing him." she said, pulling away slowly.
He put his bags down beside the desk, shaking his head. "I wondered when you'd say that. Ash is still as big headed as ever….heh, it'll be fun to be smarter than he is." He smiled.