Authors Notes:
Apologises that I did not put this up on Wednesday but some thing came up (I won't bore you all with the details). Well the good news is that this fic is nearing completion!!! I am already drafting out the final few chapters! I have written chapter 12 but I can't say exactly which day it will be up but I can say that it should be over the weekend or early next week.
1 Chapter 11: Uncertain Futures
"So we have all the trainers that were in the top 20 at the Indigo League held in the Silph building?"
"Yes sir" the Rocket male said on the other end of the phone.
Giovanni smiled his plan was working perfectly. Now it just left the Johto gyms and the elite 4. But Giovanni knew he wouldn't have to go looking for them. Lance and his gang of fools would show up sooner or later and if Giovanni knew Lance it would be later. Lance wanted glory and thus Giovanni could count on it that he wouldn't show until the last gym was gone. Then Lance would try and defeat Giovanni on his own and go down in history as the one who stopped Team Rocket. Well when he did come he would be in for a little surprise. Giovanni, with James, would defeat him too and then nothing would stand in his way. Giovanni did wonder what he was going to do when he had the world at its knees before him. He could do what he wanted but he would no longer be the Boss of a criminal gang but a supreme leader of all around him. What would be the future for Team Rocket? But Giovanni did know one thing. There would be no more human and Pokemon partnerships. Pokemon were below humans and were only good for making money. Giovanni would declare Pokemon training illegal and use his combat unit to reinforce this. Pokemon would just be used to make money. Battling and catching Pokemon would be a serious offence and all Pokemon seized from trainers would be taken away and used for profit. That had already started. Giovanni had all the electric Pokemon they had taken from gym leaders and trainers powering the Silph building. All Pokemon that couldn't be used to make money would spend their lives in the Team Rocket brand of Pokeballs being looked after by his agents that were not needed elsewhere. The take over would be complete. Freewill abolished and Team Rocket would rule.
"Sir?" the rocket he was talking with called again.
"What?" Giovanni snapped angry that his chain of evil thoughts had been disrupted.
"Is there any thing else you want me to do sir?"
"Have you caught the girl yet?"
"Well…we're working on it sir"
"I want her found!" Giovanni shouted.
"Yes sir. I'll get some one working on it right away"
"Excellent" Giovanni replied. Talia could prove to be a nuisance if she was not disposed of. It was time for phase three. "That is all" he told the rocket.
Giovanni stood up and picked up his list. He disliked going down to the prison. It was an insult that he should have to go to James. But the boy was sick and Lillian was adamant that he not be moved. That was another problem. Did Giovanni really need James when this whole thing was over? Probably not so it was best to let him die but because the length of time it took for the TM to kick in Giovanni had his men and Jill destroy the notes and all clues to what went on down there. James had been what…16 when he was given the form of the TM? Lillian explained after running some tests that it took a year for the TM to be fully absorbed. It was this mistake that cost Jill her life. Those 2 were fools and Giovanni should never have let them run the project in the first place. They had not looked at the effects properly and now James was the only one with the capabilities of future sight. It was best for Giovanni if he accomplished destroying the gyms and the elite 4 as soon as possible but that would mean James dying. He may be useful in the weeks to come. Giovanni sighed he hated to see all the money he had spent on the future sight project going to waste after using James for just a few days. Well that couldn't be helped. The doors to his office swung open and Dawn, his secretary came in.
"Here's the report on the status of the Kanto police force you wanted sir," she said setting a pile of papers down on his desk. Dawn was the only employee he had never regretted hiring. She was 15 when Giovanni met her. She was a challenger at his gym. He could still remember her wearing her pink dress and high heels. She wasn't exactly dressed for Pokemon training. Her Pokemon weren't the best in the world in fact they were hopeless. Giovanni beat her easily and she confessed that she wasn't really interested in Pokemon. She wanted to join Team Rocket and told Giovanni of this unaware that she was speaking with the Boss. Giovanni figured he could use a member with that much enthusiasm so hired her. Dawn never completed the training as Giovanni discovered her talents were in secretary work rather than with the teams themselves. Dawn now 20 still was wearing those childish dresses and her blonde hair in pigtails. But she was good at her job more than good. She was excellent at it. She was also loyal and worshipped her Boss. This was the kind of loyalty Giovanni wished that all his teams would possess.
"Thank you Dawn" Giovanni said not even glancing at the papers. Dawn was also the only member he would talk to as an equal. She was the only one that understood his want for power and the world to bow down before him. The world had treated her cruelly and she was not going to disagree with any thing Giovanni had planned for it. But what to do about James? This was a problem that he would need to sort out fairly quickly. "Dawn what is the status of my slave?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. Would you like me to check sir?"
"No" Giovanni knew that James was in a bad way. He wanted to go through the Johto list as quickly as possible but if he pushed James then it would kill him before he could get the information and then they would all be in big trouble.
"Dawn I want you to make sure he is treated better. He must not die understand?"
Dawn frowned her Boss had told her before that he didn't care about the fate of James after world domination had been established. "Sir you don't need him"
"Make sure he doesn't die just yet. If he doesn't do the viewings then it will ruin everything"
The two guards wandered down the HQ main corridor talking loudly to each other. "You would think he'd give us a better job than hunting for that girl" the first one muttered.
"Keep your mouth shut it was you who let her escape" the second one snapped.
"That little bitch hit me with some thing"
"Giovanni did say she was a good agent at one time through"
"You're point being?"
"I haven't got a point except that I think we're wasting our time. She must have got out and is probably laughing her ass off at us right now"
"And I suppose you want to tell Giovanni this?"
"Not really but he's more concerned with the boy. I say we just tell him we've got a new lead every time he asks for progress. Let's go and get some thing to eat"
"Yeah the girl will show some when if she is here"
Talia waited until the guards were long gone before she came out of her hiding place in one of the HQ's storerooms. She had spent the last day or so listening to other rockets conversations and had now got a basic idea of what her Boss was up too. She couldn't really believe it at first. James could see the future. When she first met him she was sure there was some thing about the shy, frightened male but Talia had put it down to fear of being a captive in the hands of his own Boss. The last night she was in the cell she had decided what she was going to do. Despite what she said to James the desire for revenge was too strong for her to ignore. Talia had been forced to stand by whilst her partner and best friend were murdered by Giovanni. Revenge was a sad way to leave the world. Talia had truly believed her words when she spoke them but she felt she was a misfit in the world now. She had no family and thanks to Giovanni she had no friends. In a way she would be doing the world a service. Of course Talia had no delusions about her chances. There was no way that she could get near enough to Giovanni to even aim a gun at him let alone kill him. She would be shot down in a flash, another human life senselessly wasted. But she could get closer to James. Talia felt sick when she thought about what she had to do. She liked James but she also liked being in Team Rocket and that hadn't stopped her betraying it. There was nothing to stop Talia going down to the prison and killing James now. But she didn't want to just kill him. Giovanni had to know that it was she who did it. She wanted to kill James in front of him so she could see the pain in Giovanni's eyes when he saw the world domination plan slipping from his grasp as James died. Talia felt vomit rising in her throat. James didn't want to be involved either and she was going to kill him. Talia knew it was wrong but she wanted Giovanni to suffer like she had done when her friends died. James might even welcome her putting it all to an end. There was the knowledge that Talia would have saved the world from being ruled by an evil tyrant who cared little for Pokemon and other human beings. All she had to do now was get herself a weapon and bide her time. That wouldn't be too hard. Talia just had to be patient.
"Jesse over here!" Mondo shouted jumping up and down as Jesse got off of the train carrying Meowth in her arms. The boy seemed excited to see her and Jesse felt guilty. She hadn't told Mondo any thing when she had spoke with him on the phone. His happy expression turned to one of confusion when he saw Meowth's broken leg and James absent. "Hi Mondo" Jesse smiled but she could see in Mondo's eyes what he was feeling and thinking. "What happened?" he asked. Meowth was asleep again for now. Jesse handed the cat to Mondo whilst she picked up her backpack. "I'll explain later. Is there some where we could go?"
"Yeah the Boss told me to stay in Saffron so I used my paycheque to stay in bed and breakfast. It's only down the road. Meowth can sleep there"
The walk to the bed and breakfast was silent. Only once they reached it did Mondo start asking questions. Jesse left Meowth in the small bedroom and she and Mondo went into the small lounge area to talk. Because of the events around Kanto Mondo was one of the only guests in the bed and breakfast. Jesse was surprised that the owners even kept it open. The other few guests were single people and Jesse recognised one of them as being an undercover Rocket agent. He didn't seem to spot her and she was grateful of this. "What's going on Jesse?" Mondo asked. "Where's James?"
"Mondo you remember about a month ago we came to stay in the base here?" Jesse said keeping her voice just above a whisper in case people were listening in.
"Yeah?" the boy looked confused "What has that got to do with any of this?"
"That was when we had our first success" Jesse continued. Mondo listened carefully as she explained the whole story to him. By the end of it Mondo's warm friendly brown eyes looked troubled. He was innocent to the ways of Team Rocket. He did not know what his Boss was capable of it. Jesse and Meowth had known all too well. That was why Jesse wanted the future sight kept a secret. She was afraid that people might try and use James for it and she had been right.
"Poor James" Mondo whispered a lump forming in his throat at the idea of any thing happening to one of his friends. "Is there any thing I can do?"
Jesse smiled she knew Mondo would want to help but she wouldn't risk any more of them. "Yes Mondo you can help by looking after Meowth. Butch and Cassidy could have killed him. I don't want to risk that again"
"But what about James?"
"He's my partner and I'm going to rescue him" the red head responded seeming more sure of herself than she actually was. But this was just to assure Mondo. Jesse knew the chances of saving James without coming into direct conflict with Giovanni were not good.
"Jesse I want to come" Mondo protested "I know the HQ better than you do"
"Mondo I want you to stay and look after Meowth" Jesse repeated and then added "He would only slow me down. You both would. I would rather have to worry only for myself and not you too"
Mondo smiled and nodded not for one minute doubting his idol. In his eyes if any one could defeat Giovanni then it was Jesse and James. "I want to get going straight away," Jesse said next. But what she really meant was 'I want to get away before Meowth wakes and makes a fuss'.
"Please be careful Jesse" Mondo begged "If any thing happened to you too…" he trailed off.
"I will" Jesse promised hugging Mondo for extra reassurance. Normally Mondo would have been thrilled that Jesse hugged him but right now it was all he could do to stop himself from crying. Mondo didn't like the thought of Jesse going on alone. Mondo knew how strong Jesse was but still he wished that there were some thing more that he could do. Meowth would be furious when he learned that Mondo was letting Jesse go on her own. But Mondo had always respected Jesse and James even through they were the worst team in the history of Team Rocket their loyalty was far stronger than any of the other teams. Mondo wanted a friendship like theirs and he knew, despite the fact that he had a crush on Jesse that the friendship Jesse and James had would lead to some thing more one day even if they didn't know it yet. How they felt was obvious to every one except them. Mondo couldn't decide whether they were just pretending they didn't know or they really didn't see the signs that every one else did. "Mondo?" Jesse was talking to him again. Mondo snapped out of his thoughts and smiled slightly. "Call me as soon as you get James?" he asked.
"I promise" Jesse said. Then without another word she walked from the room. Mondo was glad she didn't say goodbye. Goodbye was too final. He knew that he would see Jesse again. She had overcome a lot of things in her life. Nothing would stop her getting to James. Well at least Mondo hoped not.
The rocket agent watched Jesse leaving and then followed her to the front door. When she had gone he took his mobile phone from his jacket pocket. He dialled a few numbers until he heard Giovanni's rather stressed voice on the other end of the line. "Sir I've sighted Jessica in Saffron City. What are you're instructions?"
Giovanni sighed that was all he needed. "Keep with her but do not intercept"
"Sir?"
"Those are the orders 3679"
Giovanni slammed the phone down. Maybe this was working out for the best after all. Jesse was a minor nuisance that he would have had to deal with eventually. Her loyalty to James made her the weak one of the team. James was either too dense or not interested if he hadn't noticed how Jesse felt. Love was not some thing Giovanni tolerated in Team Rocket. And he had thought James was gay. Feelings were for the weak. If you wanted to get anywhere in life you had to crush all humanity inside of you. Giovanni smirked to himself. If he hadn't have done this then there was no way that he would be here now.
The young woman sat down heavily by the grave her fingers tracing lightly over the words on the stone marking the piece of land that had taken her friend forever. She was wearing all black and so was the boy with her. She seemed composed but the boy was a mess. His eyes had tears in them and were red rimmed.
"Why?" he kept sobbing over and over again.
The young woman shrugged and uttered a small sob. The boy reacted by fumbling in his pocket for a clean tissue. Finding one at last he held it out to her. She took it and smiled sadly. "I couldn't save him Mondo"
"That wasn't you're fault!" Mondo cried more tears falling now. "If you want to blame any one blame him!"
The woman stood and took one last look at the grave before walking away. Mondo stayed a moment more before hurrying after Jesse.
James choked on a scream as he relived that viewing for the third time that morning. He tried to control his breathing as he sat up. This caused a wave of dizziness to overcome him and he had to lean against the cell door for support. The day's meal left untouched where the guards had left it. James was hungry but he couldn't bring himself to eat. It wouldn't matter any way now. He was going to die that was certain. James knew this because he had seen it. He felt better than he had done the previous day when Giovanni had forced him to view all those gym and trainer battles. But this was not enough, James still felt exhausted and no longer had the strength to bother to try and refuse whatever Giovanni wanted. His headache was more or less constant. This was not good, as Lillian had told him. James was terrified that he would fall asleep and never wake. Doing that viewing into his own future had not been wise but it showed Jesse and Mondo at his grave. Death for James was certain now. He knew Giovanni didn't care what happened to him. James didn't want to die but he didn't have the strength to live. Giovanni would be back soon to force him into more viewings and an early grave. James could hear footsteps now. He huddled into a ball on the floor of the cell hoping that Giovanni might assume he was sleeping and come back later.
"James?" it wasn't Giovanni but his secretary. James raised his head slightly just too let her know that he was awake. "You haven't eaten? James you have to eat some thing"
"What's the point?" James asked softly.
"Giovanni was concerned. He sent me to see if you need any thing" Dawn set down a bundle on the cell floor. "What's this?"
"A change of clothes and a couple of blankets. Giovanni was furious when he found out how those guards were treating you"
James laughed bitterly "Yes he was really concerned Dawn. Drop the act Giovanni doesn't care what happens to me"
"You're wrong this time" Dawn snapped. "Giovanni requires more viewings later so you'd better start getting better or it will be on my head if you die"
"Maybe I want to die"
"James we both know you don't want that" Dawn said. She left after that and slammed the door on her way out. James thought about what she said and it was true. But if he died then Giovanni would loose. He would no longer be a slave. If he lived then Giovanni would use him to cause more pain and suffering to innocent people. James wanted to see Jesse again. He had to speak with her just to tell her he was sorry. He had been so distant towards her the last month they had spent together. James wanted to explain why and that it was the future sight making him act like that. James got changed but still made no effort to eat. Even escape seemed out of reach to him. But still a plan was forming in his tired mind. After the last gym had fallen Giovanni might forget about him long enough to rest up. Then maybe James could try to escape. But right this minute James couldn't think of any thing else than resting. He had barely closed his eyes before Giovanni came back.
Apologises that I did not put this up on Wednesday but some thing came up (I won't bore you all with the details). Well the good news is that this fic is nearing completion!!! I am already drafting out the final few chapters! I have written chapter 12 but I can't say exactly which day it will be up but I can say that it should be over the weekend or early next week.
1 Chapter 11: Uncertain Futures
"So we have all the trainers that were in the top 20 at the Indigo League held in the Silph building?"
"Yes sir" the Rocket male said on the other end of the phone.
Giovanni smiled his plan was working perfectly. Now it just left the Johto gyms and the elite 4. But Giovanni knew he wouldn't have to go looking for them. Lance and his gang of fools would show up sooner or later and if Giovanni knew Lance it would be later. Lance wanted glory and thus Giovanni could count on it that he wouldn't show until the last gym was gone. Then Lance would try and defeat Giovanni on his own and go down in history as the one who stopped Team Rocket. Well when he did come he would be in for a little surprise. Giovanni, with James, would defeat him too and then nothing would stand in his way. Giovanni did wonder what he was going to do when he had the world at its knees before him. He could do what he wanted but he would no longer be the Boss of a criminal gang but a supreme leader of all around him. What would be the future for Team Rocket? But Giovanni did know one thing. There would be no more human and Pokemon partnerships. Pokemon were below humans and were only good for making money. Giovanni would declare Pokemon training illegal and use his combat unit to reinforce this. Pokemon would just be used to make money. Battling and catching Pokemon would be a serious offence and all Pokemon seized from trainers would be taken away and used for profit. That had already started. Giovanni had all the electric Pokemon they had taken from gym leaders and trainers powering the Silph building. All Pokemon that couldn't be used to make money would spend their lives in the Team Rocket brand of Pokeballs being looked after by his agents that were not needed elsewhere. The take over would be complete. Freewill abolished and Team Rocket would rule.
"Sir?" the rocket he was talking with called again.
"What?" Giovanni snapped angry that his chain of evil thoughts had been disrupted.
"Is there any thing else you want me to do sir?"
"Have you caught the girl yet?"
"Well…we're working on it sir"
"I want her found!" Giovanni shouted.
"Yes sir. I'll get some one working on it right away"
"Excellent" Giovanni replied. Talia could prove to be a nuisance if she was not disposed of. It was time for phase three. "That is all" he told the rocket.
Giovanni stood up and picked up his list. He disliked going down to the prison. It was an insult that he should have to go to James. But the boy was sick and Lillian was adamant that he not be moved. That was another problem. Did Giovanni really need James when this whole thing was over? Probably not so it was best to let him die but because the length of time it took for the TM to kick in Giovanni had his men and Jill destroy the notes and all clues to what went on down there. James had been what…16 when he was given the form of the TM? Lillian explained after running some tests that it took a year for the TM to be fully absorbed. It was this mistake that cost Jill her life. Those 2 were fools and Giovanni should never have let them run the project in the first place. They had not looked at the effects properly and now James was the only one with the capabilities of future sight. It was best for Giovanni if he accomplished destroying the gyms and the elite 4 as soon as possible but that would mean James dying. He may be useful in the weeks to come. Giovanni sighed he hated to see all the money he had spent on the future sight project going to waste after using James for just a few days. Well that couldn't be helped. The doors to his office swung open and Dawn, his secretary came in.
"Here's the report on the status of the Kanto police force you wanted sir," she said setting a pile of papers down on his desk. Dawn was the only employee he had never regretted hiring. She was 15 when Giovanni met her. She was a challenger at his gym. He could still remember her wearing her pink dress and high heels. She wasn't exactly dressed for Pokemon training. Her Pokemon weren't the best in the world in fact they were hopeless. Giovanni beat her easily and she confessed that she wasn't really interested in Pokemon. She wanted to join Team Rocket and told Giovanni of this unaware that she was speaking with the Boss. Giovanni figured he could use a member with that much enthusiasm so hired her. Dawn never completed the training as Giovanni discovered her talents were in secretary work rather than with the teams themselves. Dawn now 20 still was wearing those childish dresses and her blonde hair in pigtails. But she was good at her job more than good. She was excellent at it. She was also loyal and worshipped her Boss. This was the kind of loyalty Giovanni wished that all his teams would possess.
"Thank you Dawn" Giovanni said not even glancing at the papers. Dawn was also the only member he would talk to as an equal. She was the only one that understood his want for power and the world to bow down before him. The world had treated her cruelly and she was not going to disagree with any thing Giovanni had planned for it. But what to do about James? This was a problem that he would need to sort out fairly quickly. "Dawn what is the status of my slave?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. Would you like me to check sir?"
"No" Giovanni knew that James was in a bad way. He wanted to go through the Johto list as quickly as possible but if he pushed James then it would kill him before he could get the information and then they would all be in big trouble.
"Dawn I want you to make sure he is treated better. He must not die understand?"
Dawn frowned her Boss had told her before that he didn't care about the fate of James after world domination had been established. "Sir you don't need him"
"Make sure he doesn't die just yet. If he doesn't do the viewings then it will ruin everything"
The two guards wandered down the HQ main corridor talking loudly to each other. "You would think he'd give us a better job than hunting for that girl" the first one muttered.
"Keep your mouth shut it was you who let her escape" the second one snapped.
"That little bitch hit me with some thing"
"Giovanni did say she was a good agent at one time through"
"You're point being?"
"I haven't got a point except that I think we're wasting our time. She must have got out and is probably laughing her ass off at us right now"
"And I suppose you want to tell Giovanni this?"
"Not really but he's more concerned with the boy. I say we just tell him we've got a new lead every time he asks for progress. Let's go and get some thing to eat"
"Yeah the girl will show some when if she is here"
Talia waited until the guards were long gone before she came out of her hiding place in one of the HQ's storerooms. She had spent the last day or so listening to other rockets conversations and had now got a basic idea of what her Boss was up too. She couldn't really believe it at first. James could see the future. When she first met him she was sure there was some thing about the shy, frightened male but Talia had put it down to fear of being a captive in the hands of his own Boss. The last night she was in the cell she had decided what she was going to do. Despite what she said to James the desire for revenge was too strong for her to ignore. Talia had been forced to stand by whilst her partner and best friend were murdered by Giovanni. Revenge was a sad way to leave the world. Talia had truly believed her words when she spoke them but she felt she was a misfit in the world now. She had no family and thanks to Giovanni she had no friends. In a way she would be doing the world a service. Of course Talia had no delusions about her chances. There was no way that she could get near enough to Giovanni to even aim a gun at him let alone kill him. She would be shot down in a flash, another human life senselessly wasted. But she could get closer to James. Talia felt sick when she thought about what she had to do. She liked James but she also liked being in Team Rocket and that hadn't stopped her betraying it. There was nothing to stop Talia going down to the prison and killing James now. But she didn't want to just kill him. Giovanni had to know that it was she who did it. She wanted to kill James in front of him so she could see the pain in Giovanni's eyes when he saw the world domination plan slipping from his grasp as James died. Talia felt vomit rising in her throat. James didn't want to be involved either and she was going to kill him. Talia knew it was wrong but she wanted Giovanni to suffer like she had done when her friends died. James might even welcome her putting it all to an end. There was the knowledge that Talia would have saved the world from being ruled by an evil tyrant who cared little for Pokemon and other human beings. All she had to do now was get herself a weapon and bide her time. That wouldn't be too hard. Talia just had to be patient.
"Jesse over here!" Mondo shouted jumping up and down as Jesse got off of the train carrying Meowth in her arms. The boy seemed excited to see her and Jesse felt guilty. She hadn't told Mondo any thing when she had spoke with him on the phone. His happy expression turned to one of confusion when he saw Meowth's broken leg and James absent. "Hi Mondo" Jesse smiled but she could see in Mondo's eyes what he was feeling and thinking. "What happened?" he asked. Meowth was asleep again for now. Jesse handed the cat to Mondo whilst she picked up her backpack. "I'll explain later. Is there some where we could go?"
"Yeah the Boss told me to stay in Saffron so I used my paycheque to stay in bed and breakfast. It's only down the road. Meowth can sleep there"
The walk to the bed and breakfast was silent. Only once they reached it did Mondo start asking questions. Jesse left Meowth in the small bedroom and she and Mondo went into the small lounge area to talk. Because of the events around Kanto Mondo was one of the only guests in the bed and breakfast. Jesse was surprised that the owners even kept it open. The other few guests were single people and Jesse recognised one of them as being an undercover Rocket agent. He didn't seem to spot her and she was grateful of this. "What's going on Jesse?" Mondo asked. "Where's James?"
"Mondo you remember about a month ago we came to stay in the base here?" Jesse said keeping her voice just above a whisper in case people were listening in.
"Yeah?" the boy looked confused "What has that got to do with any of this?"
"That was when we had our first success" Jesse continued. Mondo listened carefully as she explained the whole story to him. By the end of it Mondo's warm friendly brown eyes looked troubled. He was innocent to the ways of Team Rocket. He did not know what his Boss was capable of it. Jesse and Meowth had known all too well. That was why Jesse wanted the future sight kept a secret. She was afraid that people might try and use James for it and she had been right.
"Poor James" Mondo whispered a lump forming in his throat at the idea of any thing happening to one of his friends. "Is there any thing I can do?"
Jesse smiled she knew Mondo would want to help but she wouldn't risk any more of them. "Yes Mondo you can help by looking after Meowth. Butch and Cassidy could have killed him. I don't want to risk that again"
"But what about James?"
"He's my partner and I'm going to rescue him" the red head responded seeming more sure of herself than she actually was. But this was just to assure Mondo. Jesse knew the chances of saving James without coming into direct conflict with Giovanni were not good.
"Jesse I want to come" Mondo protested "I know the HQ better than you do"
"Mondo I want you to stay and look after Meowth" Jesse repeated and then added "He would only slow me down. You both would. I would rather have to worry only for myself and not you too"
Mondo smiled and nodded not for one minute doubting his idol. In his eyes if any one could defeat Giovanni then it was Jesse and James. "I want to get going straight away," Jesse said next. But what she really meant was 'I want to get away before Meowth wakes and makes a fuss'.
"Please be careful Jesse" Mondo begged "If any thing happened to you too…" he trailed off.
"I will" Jesse promised hugging Mondo for extra reassurance. Normally Mondo would have been thrilled that Jesse hugged him but right now it was all he could do to stop himself from crying. Mondo didn't like the thought of Jesse going on alone. Mondo knew how strong Jesse was but still he wished that there were some thing more that he could do. Meowth would be furious when he learned that Mondo was letting Jesse go on her own. But Mondo had always respected Jesse and James even through they were the worst team in the history of Team Rocket their loyalty was far stronger than any of the other teams. Mondo wanted a friendship like theirs and he knew, despite the fact that he had a crush on Jesse that the friendship Jesse and James had would lead to some thing more one day even if they didn't know it yet. How they felt was obvious to every one except them. Mondo couldn't decide whether they were just pretending they didn't know or they really didn't see the signs that every one else did. "Mondo?" Jesse was talking to him again. Mondo snapped out of his thoughts and smiled slightly. "Call me as soon as you get James?" he asked.
"I promise" Jesse said. Then without another word she walked from the room. Mondo was glad she didn't say goodbye. Goodbye was too final. He knew that he would see Jesse again. She had overcome a lot of things in her life. Nothing would stop her getting to James. Well at least Mondo hoped not.
The rocket agent watched Jesse leaving and then followed her to the front door. When she had gone he took his mobile phone from his jacket pocket. He dialled a few numbers until he heard Giovanni's rather stressed voice on the other end of the line. "Sir I've sighted Jessica in Saffron City. What are you're instructions?"
Giovanni sighed that was all he needed. "Keep with her but do not intercept"
"Sir?"
"Those are the orders 3679"
Giovanni slammed the phone down. Maybe this was working out for the best after all. Jesse was a minor nuisance that he would have had to deal with eventually. Her loyalty to James made her the weak one of the team. James was either too dense or not interested if he hadn't noticed how Jesse felt. Love was not some thing Giovanni tolerated in Team Rocket. And he had thought James was gay. Feelings were for the weak. If you wanted to get anywhere in life you had to crush all humanity inside of you. Giovanni smirked to himself. If he hadn't have done this then there was no way that he would be here now.
The young woman sat down heavily by the grave her fingers tracing lightly over the words on the stone marking the piece of land that had taken her friend forever. She was wearing all black and so was the boy with her. She seemed composed but the boy was a mess. His eyes had tears in them and were red rimmed.
"Why?" he kept sobbing over and over again.
The young woman shrugged and uttered a small sob. The boy reacted by fumbling in his pocket for a clean tissue. Finding one at last he held it out to her. She took it and smiled sadly. "I couldn't save him Mondo"
"That wasn't you're fault!" Mondo cried more tears falling now. "If you want to blame any one blame him!"
The woman stood and took one last look at the grave before walking away. Mondo stayed a moment more before hurrying after Jesse.
James choked on a scream as he relived that viewing for the third time that morning. He tried to control his breathing as he sat up. This caused a wave of dizziness to overcome him and he had to lean against the cell door for support. The day's meal left untouched where the guards had left it. James was hungry but he couldn't bring himself to eat. It wouldn't matter any way now. He was going to die that was certain. James knew this because he had seen it. He felt better than he had done the previous day when Giovanni had forced him to view all those gym and trainer battles. But this was not enough, James still felt exhausted and no longer had the strength to bother to try and refuse whatever Giovanni wanted. His headache was more or less constant. This was not good, as Lillian had told him. James was terrified that he would fall asleep and never wake. Doing that viewing into his own future had not been wise but it showed Jesse and Mondo at his grave. Death for James was certain now. He knew Giovanni didn't care what happened to him. James didn't want to die but he didn't have the strength to live. Giovanni would be back soon to force him into more viewings and an early grave. James could hear footsteps now. He huddled into a ball on the floor of the cell hoping that Giovanni might assume he was sleeping and come back later.
"James?" it wasn't Giovanni but his secretary. James raised his head slightly just too let her know that he was awake. "You haven't eaten? James you have to eat some thing"
"What's the point?" James asked softly.
"Giovanni was concerned. He sent me to see if you need any thing" Dawn set down a bundle on the cell floor. "What's this?"
"A change of clothes and a couple of blankets. Giovanni was furious when he found out how those guards were treating you"
James laughed bitterly "Yes he was really concerned Dawn. Drop the act Giovanni doesn't care what happens to me"
"You're wrong this time" Dawn snapped. "Giovanni requires more viewings later so you'd better start getting better or it will be on my head if you die"
"Maybe I want to die"
"James we both know you don't want that" Dawn said. She left after that and slammed the door on her way out. James thought about what she said and it was true. But if he died then Giovanni would loose. He would no longer be a slave. If he lived then Giovanni would use him to cause more pain and suffering to innocent people. James wanted to see Jesse again. He had to speak with her just to tell her he was sorry. He had been so distant towards her the last month they had spent together. James wanted to explain why and that it was the future sight making him act like that. James got changed but still made no effort to eat. Even escape seemed out of reach to him. But still a plan was forming in his tired mind. After the last gym had fallen Giovanni might forget about him long enough to rest up. Then maybe James could try to escape. But right this minute James couldn't think of any thing else than resting. He had barely closed his eyes before Giovanni came back.