Hope you enjoy chapter two, sorry it's taken me a while to write it, but as you can see, I've been writing MANY other stories at the same time so updates don't come as frequently as I would like them to. Thanks for the reviews, Greeneyeshipping is what the Misty/James relationship is called, although I have heard it being called Alternashipping on some sites as well.

Chapter Two

James stared past his reflection in the shop window as shoppers passed him by, occasionally crashing into him by accident and apologising profusely until they realised that they weren't getting an answer. James, it was obvious, was preoccupied. 

The name of the shop was "Cycle on By", and the object he was staring at so intently was a brand new mountain bike, sky blue in colour, and with wheel plates emblazoned with a bright picture of the water Pokemon, Staryu. He had had his eye on it since him and Jessie had arrived at Goldenrod City, and he had decided there and then to remain in the city until he had enough money to buy it.

However, it wasn't for himself that he was doing so much hard work. The bike was to be given as a gift, to the girl he had loved since the first time had met but had never been able to tell, Misty. Every time he glanced at the bike he saw her face in his mind as he presented it to her, one of joy, of happiness, of love.

Without warning his fist suddenly made contact with the solid glass window. He was kidding himself, he realised that. Misty didn't love him. She hated him. Why would she love him? All he had ever done was chase her trying to steal her Pokemon, and it was all for the sake of hiding his true feelings from her. He had never thought that one day he would be fed up of hiding it. That was his problem, he never did think until it was too late. But then he remembered another trait of his character, he never gave up, and he wasn't about to start now. After another day at work he would have enough money to buy the bike of Misty's dreams, he just hoped the bike wasn't the only think she appreciated.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by someone tapping him on the shoulder and repeating the same words over again… "Earth to James, Earth to James." James spun round and immediately felt his cheeks redden as he stared into the face of Jessie.

"Not really your style is it?" she asked, pointing at the bike he had his eye on. "And what's this? You're blushing… now which pretty girl would you be thinking of buying that for?" Jessie fluttered her eyelashes, as she looked him straight in the eye, causing him to blush even more.

"I… I… can't say," James replied, edging away from her and crashing into the window behind him.

"Oh come on James," she laughed. "It's not as if I don't know already!"

"You know?!" James was shocked. "But… how?"

"I'm a woman, I know everything," she replied, winking.

"So… do you think she likes me too?" he asked, still slightly taken aback.

"I know she does." Before James had time to complain, her lips met his, and as he struggled to remove himself from her grip, she kissed him softly, allowing herself to close her eyes. It took James about ten seconds to pull himself away, and even then the only way he was able to do so was by lowering himself to the ground and slipping out of her way. As he stood up his eyes were wide and confused, and painted diagonally across his lips was a representation of the shape of Jessie's lips, in a deep scarlet colour.

"I don't see why you're so confused," Jessie remarked, slightly annoyed. "After all if we're going to be together then you have to expect a kiss every now and again."

"Oh…" James trailed off, realising what had happened. "You thought I meant you?"

"Well who else would you mean?" Jessie replied, as confused as James was earlier.

"I'm… sorry… Jess," he stammered. "If I'd known how you felt about me I'd have kept my feelings better hidden to make sure you didn't find out."

"What… feelings?" Jessie looked at him dubiously.

"I'm in love with Misty," he admitted eventually, looking totally ashamed.

"That red haired freak?!" she exclaimed. "How the hell did you manage to fall in love with her?!"

"Well maybe because she doesn't bully me all the time, put me down over and over again, beat me up and act like she's superior to me when in reality she isn't!" he shouted, beginning to get angry.

"And maybe I don't love you at all!" Jessie retaliated. "I mean why would I want to love someone who's so much lower in the evolutionary chain than me?!"

"Hey, could you keep the noise down out here please?" the owner of the bicycle shop wandered out of the entrance and stood with his arms crossed staring at the pair.

"You're welcome to your peace," Jessie hissed. "I'm leaving!" As she looked in James direction one last time, he noticed tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks, and as she ran away from the shop he felt guilty for upsetting her.

"Jessie!" he shouted after. "Come back!" he shouted again. "I'm sorry…" he said quietly as if to himself as he realised she wasn't coming back. Staring at the busy street she had run down, he began to race after her.

"Reserve that bike for me would you?" he shouted back to the shopkeeper as he merged into the crowds and disappeared.

oo00O00oo

"Hi Misty," Brock said sympathetically as he pulled back the curtain that sheltered her from the world and entered the cubicle, closing it quietly behind him. It was visiting time already? Misty wondered. She had no recollection of what time it was; she didn't even know whether it was day or night. Brock sat down on a small wicker chair beside the bed and looked at her, unsure of what to say. Misty wanted to put him out of his misery by beginning the conversation but no matter how heard she tried she couldn't get the words she wanted to say out of her mouth. She stared past him, letting her eyes relax, staring at nothing in particular, to attempt to block out the image of Brock smiling at her, a sickly sympathetic look on his face. She couldn't bare it. However much she wanted to be with her friends, talk to them, be back on the road, she couldn't have it all, and if she couldn't have it all then part of it wasn't enough, because all it served to do was remind her of what she couldn't have.

"I'd better go now… The guesthouse closes soon…" Brock trailed off, and Misty could tell he was on the verge of tears. She wished she could stop them flowing, but she knew it was impossible. As Brock left the room, a distant look on his face, she wished she could get out of bed and run after him, but that was just as impossible. She closed her eyes to the world, and for a moment wished they would never open again.

"Toci!" Misty emerged from her thoughts as her Pokemon Togepi raced through the door as fast as her little legs could carry her, and leapt clumsily onto a plastic chair in the corner of the room. Misty turned away from the window and wheeled her chair a hundred and eighty degrees to face her.

"Hi Togepi," she said softly to the Pokemon, managing a weak smile. "How are you today?"

"Toci Toci," she replied enthusiastically.

"Thought so… you always are. Any chance of rubbing some of that happiness off on me?"

"Toci… pwi" Togepi said sympathetically, turning her head to one side.

"I'm sorry Togepi," she sighed. "I know I haven't been much of a trainer recently, but I will be eventually, I promise."

"Toci," Togepi smiled warmly, and with one final leap jumped onto her trainer's lap and snuggled up to her. Misty turned her attention back to the window, and stared through the glass and ahead to where the Cerulean City Gym stood. She remembered visiting every day when she was young, and learning how to train her favourite water Pokemon. It seemed so long ago now, and it seemed like she had done so much since. Of course, she had. She had become a gym leader, and then embarked on the journey of a lifetime, met people she'd never forgotten and experiences she'd learned a lot from. Now she was stuck in a cramped and uncomfortable wheelchair depending on other people to push her around. How quickly things changed.

She began to think about Ash. She had loved him once, a long time ago. At first she had hated him, but she soon realised that hating him was a way of putting her real feelings out of her head, in order to keep herself from going mad. She had never told him how she felt, Ash was always too busy finding the next gym, the next trainer, the next Pokemon, and he hardly noticed her. Most of the time it was as if she was an inconvenience, a whingeing pain in the neck that got in his way, at least that's how she felt most of the time. Now she didn't know how she felt, part of her still loved him and wanted to give him a hug and tell him everything, but another part, the one which dominated her thoughts, hated him for reminding her about what life had been like before the explosion. Of course, that wasn't his fault, but she couldn't help how she felt.

She watched as a tear slipped down her cheek and landed on Togepi's head. She hadn't realised she was crying until then. She wiped more tears from her face, frustrated with herself for letting herself get upset. She hated herself for feeling how she did, but she couldn't see any way to change it. Her sisters had given up on her a long time ago, and she was on the verge of doing the same.

She stifled a yawn and as she did so she realised she hadn't slept in days, or maybe weeks, she had lost track of time. Stretching her arms above her head and yawning once more, she turned to her bed and grabbed hold of the wheelchairs arms in order to pull herself out. She got halfway out of the chair, but as she reached for the bed she realised her arms were giving way. Screeching as she fell to the ground, she let go of Togepi who flew across the room and landed with a crash on the floor. She responded by bursting into loud tears, and listening to the Pokemon's weeping, Misty broke down crying, and the two lay there, shedding tears that could fill a river.

"I'm pathetic," Misty whispered as she hit the ground with her fist in frustration.

oo00O00oo

"Jessie?" James asked as he entered the room in the guesthouse they were sharing. "Are you here?" He had felt bad since they had argued, and, not finding her anywhere else, assumed she had returned here.  But as he walked in he could only see Meowth who was lying flat on his back on one of the beds.

"She's come and gone," Meowth looked up. "She's pretty upset, has you two been arguin' again?"

"Yeah, and it's all my fault." James sat on the bed opposite the Pokemon, who sat up and looked at him interest.

"What did ya do this time?" Meowth rolled his eyes, after all, it wasn't the first time James had messed things up.

"I fell in love," he admitted.

"With Jessie?"

"No."

"And that's da problem?" Meowth pulled himself up from his slumped condition and leaned forwards, looking his depressed friend in the eyes.

"Got it in one," James sighed.

"If ya don't mind me askin'… who's da lucky girl?" Meowth stood up and wandered across the bed towards James.

"It's Misty," James replied quietly, putting his head down.

"That girl who hangs around with da twerp?" Meowth asked, intrigued. "But we ain't seen dem for months."

"If I'd only loved her for a few months then maybe it'd be easier." James put his hands behind his head and slumped down on his back, sighing loudly and staring dreamily at the ceiling. "Why did I have to be so stupid as to fall in love with her," he cursed himself, his dreamy expression converting immediately into frustration.

"Ya can't choose who ya fall in love with," Meowth replied sympathetically. "I knows all about that."

"Yeah but Misty of all people!" he sat up swiftly, putting his head down. As he ran his fingers through his hair, the door of the room slammed and Jessie entered the room, her eyes read and her cheeks tear-stricken. As she noticed James sitting looking at her she turned back to the door.

"Jessie," he said promptly, getting to his feet and wandering across to her. "I'm sorry."

"What do you have to be sorry about?" she replied slightly bitterly, turning back to him. "It's not your fault you don't love me."

"I mean, for what I said, I shouldn't have." James put his head down in shame, and to avoid looking Jessie in the eye. "But you were wrong about me not loving you. You're the best friend I've ever had, and I love you so much, just not in the same way as I love Misty. You understand… don't you?"

"I guess I don't have much choice," she replied, a weak smile appearing on her face. "I know you never did have good taste, and from what I can see you still don't, but it's your choice and if you want to be with her, then you go get her."

"Thanks Jessie," he grinned. "I will."

His next thought was that he ought to get his hands on that bike before someone stole it from in front of him, do he delved in a rucksack beside his bed for a number of notes and coins, and then placed them carefully in the pockets of his trousers before dashing out of the room without another word to anyone.

" I still can't understand what he sees in that twerp," Jessie muttered as she watched the door slam shut behind her, just as her hopes of her and James being together closed up inside of her.