7. And then there were two…
The two remaining members of Team Rocket were still staring open-mouthed fifteen minutes after their feline companion had parted company. And they were still sitting on the floor getting damp behinds from the dewy grass. Finally, James broke the horrible silence.
"I don't think he's coming back." he said. Jessie audibly grunted and raised a hand to hit him. He instinctively flinched and moved his arms to protect his face, and awaited the blow. Nothing came. Instead of a thump he heard her voice.
"No. I don't think he is," she said. James smiled. She hadn't hit him for once. "Who'd've thought that our Meowth could be so… sensitive." James nodded in agreement, then thought of something.
"I don't think he IS our Meowth. In fact I don't think he ever was in the first place. We hardly knew him." Jessie sighed and contemplated this, then James took out a pokéball she'd never seen before and looked at it in thought.
"What's that?" she asked.
"His pokéball." said James, "I guess we won't be needing it any more." He raised his arm to throw it away, but was stopped by Jessie's hand on his wrist.
"Let's keep it." He lowered his arm again and looked at her. She HAD changed but he couldn't think how or why. Maybe it was capturing Pikachu and their imminent paycheques (which certainly wouldn't be as satisfying without the cat, he added), or maybe it was the loss of Meowth, but she seemed… calmer. More serene, even. She hadn't hit him - he was still in shock about this. Even Pikachu could sense the difference in her as he approached cautiously. Jessie took the pokéball from James and examined it. A little image of its previous occupant had been engraved into the red surface, presumably by that occupant, along with the name beneath it. James wasn't sure, but, watching her, he thought he saw a tear roll down her cheek. He knew he was mistaken, though - she would never cry over Meowth. She wouldn't cry over anybody.
Just as he was contemplating this, she suddenly snapped out of it and hurled the pokéball at Pikachu, capturing him before he had a chance to react. Then she retrieved the ball and tossed it in the air triumphantly.
"Come on! Let's get to Headquarters!" She began to run off. That's my Jess, thought James. Then he ran after her.
Ash had finally got out of the forest and by sheer coincidence had stumbled (literally) upon his home town of Pallett. "Well," he thought aloud, "I may as well visit Mom while I'm here."
He began to walk through the familiar streets towards his house. Then a thought struck him: "What am I gonna tell her about the other two guys? She'll expect them to be with me." He stopped on a nearby bench and pondered what to do. Not being a good ponderer he didn't come up with the most original of ideas. "I can't tell her the truth - she'll kill me." That image of Misty's face came back and he fought it to a far corner of his brain so that he could focus. "I'll have to tell her that we all went our separate ways. Yeah." A decision finally made, he began to walk to his house. He could see it in the distance. Then he broke into a run before he had time to change his mind about his story.
In seconds he was knocking on the door. His mother's voice called from inside. "Don't go away. I'm coming. One second." She opened the door and beamed. "ASH!!!" She didn't hug him, knowing that he'd be embarrassed, but then she noticed something. "Where are your friends, honey?" There was a long pause. Then Ash looked up at his mother's smiling face, ready to tell her everything. It was about time he started to take responsibility for his own life…
Before she knew what was happening, Mrs. Ketchum had been forced backwards by the impact of her son throwing himself at her, his arms around her waist.
"Ash, what-?" she began, but her question was cut short by a loud sob. She managed to prise off her son and take him inside to calm him down. All Ash could do was hope she'd be understanding about it all.