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Misty's Awakening
Part 16
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Misty ran, as fast as her crutches would permit, to the car that waited outside the white picket fence. Ash was standing by the familiar sports car that Misty recognized as Brock's, and he held the front door open for her. Ash then took a seat for himself in the back, leaning forward to the two in the front.
"Been waiting long, you guys?" Misty asked, not wanting to be a hassle.
"Naw," Brock answered her, putting the car into drive, "just a couple minutes. It's no big deal, anyway."
Misty smiled. "Good."
The car pulled out into the road.
They drove a little way, chatting as they made their way to their destination, and Brock told them of his thoughts for the wedding decorations.
"Don't know why you bother trying to plan anything," Misty said, "because if my sister gets her way, she'll go through with the wedding she's been dreaming about since she was a kid. And she always gets her way."
Brock smiled helplessly. "Yeah...I know."
"So..." Ash said, "are we meeting Misty's sisters in the city?"
"Yeah. They said that they'd meet us at the decoration store. So...that means we'll probably be there a while."
"You said it," Misty told them, "they might not have the center pieces picked out until the wedding date has come and gone!"
* * * *
Sure enough, upon their arrival, Brock, Ash, and Misty found the three sisters waiting in front of the store, looking over a set of shelves filled with random accessories.
"...that's not, like, the right color, it is?"
"....look how totally perfect this would look next to the punch bowl!"
"...forget it! Make him get you an ice sculpture!"
Brock smirked, but straightened his face before the girls could turn around to see him.
"Brocky!!!" Violet spun around to her fiancé, literally wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on as if her life depended on it. "I missed you, sweety! You're always so busy..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." He hugged her back, then let her down, smiling at her lovingly. "But I'm just finishing up business so I won't have to worry about it after the wedding. I'm here now."
Misty sighed at the sweetness, but caught herself before Ash had time to notice her glazed look.
"Shall we, like, get started?" Lily suggested.
"It's now or never," Brock said. "To the crepe paper!"
The small herd rushed down the aisles of the store, beginning at the start of their unending mental shopping list.
* *
Misty and Ash had been assigned to the napkins and the plates, and separated, as the rest of the group had, to find their items.
Misty held onto Ash's hand as they walked to the back of the store. There, they found a counter with balloons and a helium tank, candles on a shelf, and to the left, a rack with assorted utensils and plates.
"They said to get clear plastic plates, didn't they?" Ash asked her as he observed the supply.
"Yeah...with the bows etched onto them. Do you want me to grab the napkins from over there?"
"Yeah, if that's OK. I'm gonna have to get a few boxes of these..."
"OK." Misty took her crutches and slowly made her way to the napkin aisle.
It was like millions of flags unfurled before her— every imaginable color a napkin could be, she saw it on the wall of the aisle. And, after all the colors, there were more napkins with all sorts of patterns decorating them.
'This is crazy,' Misty thought. 'Who would need all these colors?' She found the particular hues she was looking for, examining them to make sure they were the right ones. 'I can't believe I'm here, doing *this*. Holy cow...are those red polka dots?!'
She looked at a package of napkins that were, indeed, splattered with crimson dots. And, strangely enough, before she could even look away, she saw a hand reach out for them.
Misty couldn't help but wonder what kind of wacky person would buy such a thing, and she found that she was staring at the hand. Nicely manicured nails— a woman's hand— and long, slender fingers. Something about that hand felt...familiar.
Misty followed the arm up and found the women's face. When it clicked to her who she was looking at, she dropped her violet-colored napkins all over the floor.
"...JESSIE!??!"
The lady, whose hair was a deep pinkish-red, looked shocked. "Hnnh?! How did you...?!!"
"Jessie! Jessie, from Team Rocket! It's YOU!" Misty found herself holding tighter to her crutches for fear of falling over.
"You...you little brat! It's you, from Team Twerp! You scared me half to death! You could have been anyone, knowing my name..." She scowled at Misty.
"Yeah...and believe it or not, I have a name, too."
Jessie sighed. "Oh. So sorry. You're Misty...is that right? You're the one who had the accident, aren't you? I thought you were dead or something."
Misty wasn't sure she liked the way Jessie had said that. "Uh...I was in a coma. I woke up from it a few weeks ago..."
Jessie seemed to have calmed down slightly, and she folded her arms, still holding onto the polka-dot napkins. "Yeah...well, good for you. I haven't seen any of you twerps since...since that PokeMaster Wannabe lost his Pikachu. Poor kid. He took it hard. But he's the reason we got demoted, you know. If the Boss hadn't put someone else in our place...but then, that doesn't matter anymore."
"What happened to your partner, and your Meowth?" Misty questioned.
"Oh...they're getting the champagne." She smiled. "We're having a little party, you see. Don't get the wrong idea, kid, we have a good reason for it. And you're not invited, by the way." She grinned at Misty.
"Well...what's it for?"
Jessie looked stunned, as if she hadn't expected Misty to act curious. "Ah. Well, it's a long story..."
Misty thought about how much longer her sisters might be skipping around the store, and found the strength to pursue further. "I've got time. Besides...it can't be that big of a secret."
Jessie sighed. "Well, I'll make a long story short. I don't know *why* I'm telling you this...but...we're celebrating our resignation from Team Rocket."
"You're KIDDING!" Misty cried, "You left Team Rocket?!"
"Shh, kid! I don't want it to end up on the front page or anything! We're still wanted criminals." She smoothed her long hair. "It's just something that James and I decided. And, the cat agreed in the end." She shoved the napkins into her purse. "Well, just the same...old habits die hard." She smiled at Misty.
"Uhh...yeah. So, you seriously left Team Rocket? That's good!"
"It's alright, I guess. I liked the job...liked the adventure. But me and James felt cheated. The Boss kept giving us easier and easier assignments, and then, he kept replacing us with other people and lowering our pay. He started giving us dumb assignments over and over again. Pointless...waist of time. So, we decided to quit, and that's that." She bit her lip. "It wasn't as easy as you'd think, getting out of that place..." She shuddered.
"That makes sense...you aren't wearing your uniform. And, your actually talking to me."
Jessie looked down at the short black dress she wore. "Yeah, well...that uniform never flattered my figure, anyway."
"Hey, Jess! Let's go!" It was James' unique voice calling, and Misty could hear the mumbling of Meowth nearby.
"Well, kid, it's been nice talking. You're not as bratty as you used to be, you know? And... I won't ask what it is *you're* doing here...I bet you're getting ready for your wedding to that Ash kid. Believe me-- men aren't worth the effort."
Misty smiled. "Sure."
"Well...bye." Jessie zipped her purse shut and ran to join her partners.
Misty sighed, astounded. She had to wait a few moments before remembering what it was she had been doing before she had found her former 'enemy', and then she picked up the napkins from the ground and took them in her hand, noting that she would have to get a bulk box of them.
She stumbled back to the plate aisle, a strange smile on her face. "Ash," she said, "you'll never guess who I just ran in to..."
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...To Be Continued...
_______
Misty's Awakening
Part 16
________________
Misty ran, as fast as her crutches would permit, to the car that waited outside the white picket fence. Ash was standing by the familiar sports car that Misty recognized as Brock's, and he held the front door open for her. Ash then took a seat for himself in the back, leaning forward to the two in the front.
"Been waiting long, you guys?" Misty asked, not wanting to be a hassle.
"Naw," Brock answered her, putting the car into drive, "just a couple minutes. It's no big deal, anyway."
Misty smiled. "Good."
The car pulled out into the road.
They drove a little way, chatting as they made their way to their destination, and Brock told them of his thoughts for the wedding decorations.
"Don't know why you bother trying to plan anything," Misty said, "because if my sister gets her way, she'll go through with the wedding she's been dreaming about since she was a kid. And she always gets her way."
Brock smiled helplessly. "Yeah...I know."
"So..." Ash said, "are we meeting Misty's sisters in the city?"
"Yeah. They said that they'd meet us at the decoration store. So...that means we'll probably be there a while."
"You said it," Misty told them, "they might not have the center pieces picked out until the wedding date has come and gone!"
* * * *
Sure enough, upon their arrival, Brock, Ash, and Misty found the three sisters waiting in front of the store, looking over a set of shelves filled with random accessories.
"...that's not, like, the right color, it is?"
"....look how totally perfect this would look next to the punch bowl!"
"...forget it! Make him get you an ice sculpture!"
Brock smirked, but straightened his face before the girls could turn around to see him.
"Brocky!!!" Violet spun around to her fiancé, literally wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on as if her life depended on it. "I missed you, sweety! You're always so busy..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." He hugged her back, then let her down, smiling at her lovingly. "But I'm just finishing up business so I won't have to worry about it after the wedding. I'm here now."
Misty sighed at the sweetness, but caught herself before Ash had time to notice her glazed look.
"Shall we, like, get started?" Lily suggested.
"It's now or never," Brock said. "To the crepe paper!"
The small herd rushed down the aisles of the store, beginning at the start of their unending mental shopping list.
* *
Misty and Ash had been assigned to the napkins and the plates, and separated, as the rest of the group had, to find their items.
Misty held onto Ash's hand as they walked to the back of the store. There, they found a counter with balloons and a helium tank, candles on a shelf, and to the left, a rack with assorted utensils and plates.
"They said to get clear plastic plates, didn't they?" Ash asked her as he observed the supply.
"Yeah...with the bows etched onto them. Do you want me to grab the napkins from over there?"
"Yeah, if that's OK. I'm gonna have to get a few boxes of these..."
"OK." Misty took her crutches and slowly made her way to the napkin aisle.
It was like millions of flags unfurled before her— every imaginable color a napkin could be, she saw it on the wall of the aisle. And, after all the colors, there were more napkins with all sorts of patterns decorating them.
'This is crazy,' Misty thought. 'Who would need all these colors?' She found the particular hues she was looking for, examining them to make sure they were the right ones. 'I can't believe I'm here, doing *this*. Holy cow...are those red polka dots?!'
She looked at a package of napkins that were, indeed, splattered with crimson dots. And, strangely enough, before she could even look away, she saw a hand reach out for them.
Misty couldn't help but wonder what kind of wacky person would buy such a thing, and she found that she was staring at the hand. Nicely manicured nails— a woman's hand— and long, slender fingers. Something about that hand felt...familiar.
Misty followed the arm up and found the women's face. When it clicked to her who she was looking at, she dropped her violet-colored napkins all over the floor.
"...JESSIE!??!"
The lady, whose hair was a deep pinkish-red, looked shocked. "Hnnh?! How did you...?!!"
"Jessie! Jessie, from Team Rocket! It's YOU!" Misty found herself holding tighter to her crutches for fear of falling over.
"You...you little brat! It's you, from Team Twerp! You scared me half to death! You could have been anyone, knowing my name..." She scowled at Misty.
"Yeah...and believe it or not, I have a name, too."
Jessie sighed. "Oh. So sorry. You're Misty...is that right? You're the one who had the accident, aren't you? I thought you were dead or something."
Misty wasn't sure she liked the way Jessie had said that. "Uh...I was in a coma. I woke up from it a few weeks ago..."
Jessie seemed to have calmed down slightly, and she folded her arms, still holding onto the polka-dot napkins. "Yeah...well, good for you. I haven't seen any of you twerps since...since that PokeMaster Wannabe lost his Pikachu. Poor kid. He took it hard. But he's the reason we got demoted, you know. If the Boss hadn't put someone else in our place...but then, that doesn't matter anymore."
"What happened to your partner, and your Meowth?" Misty questioned.
"Oh...they're getting the champagne." She smiled. "We're having a little party, you see. Don't get the wrong idea, kid, we have a good reason for it. And you're not invited, by the way." She grinned at Misty.
"Well...what's it for?"
Jessie looked stunned, as if she hadn't expected Misty to act curious. "Ah. Well, it's a long story..."
Misty thought about how much longer her sisters might be skipping around the store, and found the strength to pursue further. "I've got time. Besides...it can't be that big of a secret."
Jessie sighed. "Well, I'll make a long story short. I don't know *why* I'm telling you this...but...we're celebrating our resignation from Team Rocket."
"You're KIDDING!" Misty cried, "You left Team Rocket?!"
"Shh, kid! I don't want it to end up on the front page or anything! We're still wanted criminals." She smoothed her long hair. "It's just something that James and I decided. And, the cat agreed in the end." She shoved the napkins into her purse. "Well, just the same...old habits die hard." She smiled at Misty.
"Uhh...yeah. So, you seriously left Team Rocket? That's good!"
"It's alright, I guess. I liked the job...liked the adventure. But me and James felt cheated. The Boss kept giving us easier and easier assignments, and then, he kept replacing us with other people and lowering our pay. He started giving us dumb assignments over and over again. Pointless...waist of time. So, we decided to quit, and that's that." She bit her lip. "It wasn't as easy as you'd think, getting out of that place..." She shuddered.
"That makes sense...you aren't wearing your uniform. And, your actually talking to me."
Jessie looked down at the short black dress she wore. "Yeah, well...that uniform never flattered my figure, anyway."
"Hey, Jess! Let's go!" It was James' unique voice calling, and Misty could hear the mumbling of Meowth nearby.
"Well, kid, it's been nice talking. You're not as bratty as you used to be, you know? And... I won't ask what it is *you're* doing here...I bet you're getting ready for your wedding to that Ash kid. Believe me-- men aren't worth the effort."
Misty smiled. "Sure."
"Well...bye." Jessie zipped her purse shut and ran to join her partners.
Misty sighed, astounded. She had to wait a few moments before remembering what it was she had been doing before she had found her former 'enemy', and then she picked up the napkins from the ground and took them in her hand, noting that she would have to get a bulk box of them.
She stumbled back to the plate aisle, a strange smile on her face. "Ash," she said, "you'll never guess who I just ran in to..."
_______
...To Be Continued...
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