Catching Up To You
(part 5 of 7)
by Maeyan (maeyan@mailcity.com)
DISCLAIMER: While I have traded many pieces of paper for their goods,
I have no ownership or rights to the characters, etc of Pokémon.
If they're looking for new owners, however I get dibs on Gary!
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Part five:
It was late and Brock was exhausted. Gary had shown up at his door over ten hours ago with a bleeding Misty in his arms and three of Ash's Pokémon struggling behind him, obviously exhausted and in desperate need of assistance themselves. With Gary's help, he'd managed to get Misty's wound cleaned and stabilized and then contacted Joy for an emergency visit. Only now that he'd been assured that everyone was going to be okay did he turn loose holy hell on Gary.
"I don't know, Brock!" Gary ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Again. Brock refrained from throwing him against the wall. Again. "I told you, Gramps sent an urgent message and when I got there Misty and the Pokémon were running out the door. I didn't see them again until I found her like this!"
Brock tossed his head back and tried to calm down. Misty was like another sister to him and he wanted, no, needed, to know what had happened. "Okay. Let's have a drink and then you can start from the beginning again."
He led Gary into the spacious kitchen and reached up into the cupboard he hadn't opened since the night his last sibling left home. He pulled the half-empty bottle down and filled two glasses to the brim with the amber liquid, then hesitated. Better put the bottle back, Brock, he told himself. She's gonna be okay, you're just scared.
"She's gonna be okay, Brock." Gary's hand cupped the Breeder's shoulder with a reassuring pressure as he echoed Brock's own thoughts. "I found her in plenty of time and you heard Nurse Joy - the Pokémon took good care to keep her stable and safe."
Brock nodded, put the bottle back in the cupboard and turned, handing Gary one of the two glasses. He swallowed more than half of his own drink and forced himself to switch out of desperately terrified parent mode and back into overly concerned friend mode.
"So, tell me what happened. From the top." He walked to the dining room and sat down; Gary followed and sat down with a frown.
"Well, I got the story from Gramps and it was kind of sketchy. Basically Ash and Misty seemed to have some sort of fight and he took off. What doesn't make sense is that he not only left Pikachu and his other Pokémon behind, but he actually had them transferred to Misty." Gary took a small sip of his drink and coughed. "What is this? Bug repellent?"
"Homebrew," Brock answered as he took another long swallow, ignoring Gary's look of absolute horror. "Go on."
"That's pretty much all I know. I think Ash has run away to his dad's place on Gemuoba Island. I just have to figure out why."
Brock drained his glass and stared at his friend. Why did Gary care so much about Ash? "Why?"
"Why?" Gary repeated and Brock nodded and watched as the young trainer swirled a finger around the rim of his glass. Gary shrugged and gave a wry grin. "Because I kinda wonder if I didn't drive him to it. Giving up Pokémon and all. I was pretty rough to him for a while there."
Brock snorted and carried his glass to the sink. "As much as I'm sure you'd like to think otherwise, you are not endowed with godlike powers. I sincerely doubt you had a thing to do with Ash's leaving." He turned and leaned against the counter.
Gary leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Yeah. But I gotta wonder. It had to take something big to make Ash leave Misty after all these years. And without Pikachu?"
Brock nodded. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to get the rest of the story. Since you were following her, I assume you called Gemouba to find out if he's there?"
"Gramps did. Or rather tried. The receptionist said he wasn't there, and I got the run-around... when I tried calling... calling... " Gary jumped up with a look of absolute horror on his face. "Oh my god. I forgot to call Rei!" He looked around the room frantically, and his eyes lit up as they located the vid-phone in the corner of the room. "Brock, can I use your phone, please?"
Brock waved him towards the contraption and smiled softly.
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"I don't understand, hon. Some old friend of yours has left his girlfriend and now you have to go find his father?" Brock was sitting in the living room and he could hear both sides of the conversation clearly.
"No." Gary sighed and Brock had to snicker. He had to. The conversation had been running along the same lines for almost half an hour now. "But he left Misty and his hat and then..."
"His... hat? Gar, if you wanted a boys-night-out, you could've just asked. I'm not going to cry or anything."
Brock knew Gary was about to cry himself, and he was tempted to try to help the young man get his point across. Just tempted, mind you...
"Honey, look. Ash and I have been friends for years. He's been raising Pokémon for as long as I have. Then one day he abandons them, even the Pikachu he's had since we were ten, and disappears... and I need to find out what's wrong."
Uh oh, thought Brock. That was not the best way to put it. Tell a Pokémon therapist that somebody abandoned his Pokémon and expect her to feel sympathy for him?
click
There was silence and Brock shook his head. If he knew Rei at all, and he did indeed know his cousin, he knew what was coming next. He waited. Ten... nine...
"Hon?" Gary's voice cracked just a bit. Brock continued to count... eight... seven...
"She hung up. I'm in trouble. Oh god. Three months of marriage, and I'm already in trouble."
Six... five...
"Hey Brock? Should I call her back?"
Four... three...
"Or will I just get in bigger trouble?"
Two.. one... Brinnnnnnngg Brinnnng... Brock reached for the Breeding Center's cordless telephone at his elbow. "Pewter City Breeding Center. Hello?"
It was Rei. "Hey Brock. This friend of my husband's, Dusty or whatever his name is. You say he's abandoned his Pokémon?"
Brock smiled. She was ticked. She knew Ash's name as well as he did. They'd discussed his Pokémon techniques dozens of times. "Mhm. Apparently so, yes. But, well, only three of them know about it, as far as I'm aware."
"Only three?" Brock could almost hear her turning the situation over in her mind. "And how long have they been with him?"
He frowned, thinking back to when he'd first met Ash. "Well, I believe it's about ten years for all three."
"Hmm. Then I guess they're not taking it too well, are they? Were they close to him?"
"Oh, yes. And they're taking it rather badly." He heard her sigh as he hit a nerve with the therapist.
"And this girlfriend of his? Do they get along with her too? Do they like her?" Gary walked into the room and plopped down in a chair, wide eyed in disbelief. Brock smirked as he realized that Gary didn't know who was on the other end of his conversation.
"They get along fairly well, actually. Like her? No, I'd say it's stronger than that. She's known them almost the same amount of time."
"Is she an okay trainer, Brock? Do I need to file anything or call anyone? I know she's your friend, but I know you and..." she trailed off and Brock smiled.
"Well, she's pretty badly hurt right now, but yes she does know what she's doing. But I don't think that makes it any better for them. She's a water-type only, but she's fairly experienced. A former Gym Leader, you know."
Rei snorted. "Yeah, and you know my opinions on gyms. I'll be over in a few hours. Tell that husband of mine to behave until I get there."
"Alrighty then. Thanks a lot! This means a bunch to me, you know. Bye." Brock pushed the button and placed the phone back on the table. Gary looked up at the sound and frowned.
"Brock? She hung up on me. What do I do? Should I apologize?" He stood and whirled back towards the vid-phone. "I should apologize. Yeah. Apologize. Can I use your phone again? I'll reverse the charges..."
Brock smiled and returned to his paper. "Don't bother. That was Rei on the phone. She's on her way over. Says she can't wait to meet this woman who's raised such protective instincts in you." Brock smiled as he heard Gary's groan.
"But it's just... And Misty's not... Oh man. I'm in trouble."
Brock looked up, but the look in Gary's eye stopped him from continuing his fun. He sighed. It didn't pay, sometimes, to be a good guy. "Relax, Gary. She's coming over to help with Pikachu, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. She doesn't give a damn about a guy who abandons his Pokémon, and she's worried about them, not you. My cousin knows she's got you wrapped around her finger."
Gary relaxed, smiled. Then, "Hey!"
And Brock smirked. Even good guys had to have *some* fun.
______________________
Jessie slammed the file drawer shut and glared at the clock. Well, she glared at the space on the wall where she would have put a clock, if she'd had one. She sank into her chair, her glare turning to a sigh as she let her head fall to the desk. She was bored. "Join Team Rocket..." she muttered sarcastically, "file papers, answer telephones... sit alone in a room all day..."
It wouldn't be so bad, she thought, if only people would talk to her. But she'd never made friends very easily, and being stuck away in a corner office didn't help the situation. Most of all, she missed James.
She smiled a bit at the thought of her ex-partner. When they'd finally been called to the carpet for failing to capture any rare Pokémon, let alone the twerp's Pikachu, she'd been worried about what would happen to them. But it hadn't been too bad - Meowth had been recalled to headquarters but she and James had been reassigned here, together: she to the secretary pool and James to the mailroom, where, and this was the part she didn't really understand, he'd quickly become the darling of the entire office. He wasn't too swift in the brain department, sometimes, but he still had people practically lining up to spend time with him.
The phone rang again, interrupting her musings. She reached for it, waving as James walked in at the same time.
"Starship Publishing, this is Jessica. How may I help you?"
****
James waved back, perching on a corner of her desk as he waited for her to finish her call. He enjoyed lunchtime most of all. Not only did he get to spend an entire hour with Jessie, but he got to eat at the same time. He lifted the oversized lunch he'd packed this morning and waggled his eyebrows at his friend. She waved him away, turning her head as she tried to concentrate on the phone call. From the soothing murmurs of her voice, James guessed it was another irate writer. He shook his head and sighed. Poor Jessie. She got yelled at more now that they were legit, than she ever did when they were thieving together. Of course, he thought, when they were on the road, she was usually the one doing the yelling...
He listened as she calmed the caller down and managed to wring from him an idea of what was wrong. She was good, James thought. Too bad she was so bored. Her mind just wasn't occupied enough with this position, as she'd told him more than once. It frustrated him, since he actually liked the idea of steadily working for a living - not worrying about where they'd sleep or if they would even eat that day... He looked again at the lunch in his hands. No one in the office could figure out why he always ate lunch with her. She didn't have many friends... He smiled. She didn't have any friends other than him, and he... He looked back at her as she hung up the phone.
"Ready, Jess?" he asked as she reached under the desk for her "out of office" sign. She smiled at him and his heart flipflopped in the pleasant way he'd long been used to.
He'd never had a giant epiphany or anything. He'd just gradually realized that while Jessie was his best friend she was also more than that. He couldn't even remember when he'd finally admitted it to himself, when he finally acknowledged, simply, 'I love Jessie.' He'd just accepted it as another fact of life (we steal Pokémon, we fail at everything, there's no money for food, I love Jessie) and moved on.
He had wondered, though, why he couldn't tell her. The closest he'd come was when the Boss had been about to separate them and he'd stubbornly refused to leave her side. The Boss had glared at them and finally waved a hand in frustration, sending them both to the publishing house.
Jessie dragging him out of the building brought him back to the present. He knew she'd spent the entire day waiting for lunch: it was her only chance to get out of the building and pretend that she wasn't at someone else's mercy. They found a grassy spot under a tree in the nearby park and sat to eat with gusto. James again was glad that they had steady jobs and could actually eat food that wasn't days old or bought with the knowledge that they would have to wash dishes for a week to pay for it. He wondered briefly if Meowth was having as wonderful a life as he was.
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Rei didn't look up when the door opened. She was long used to her older cousin walking in and waiting in silence while she finished her observations; he knew to be quiet and not distract her. Just as she knew not to try to tell him his job. She didn't, this time, ignore his presence for long. She reached over and threw the switch that shut off the speakers between the rooms, her notebook sliding to the floor. Brock leaned over to hand it back to her, frowning as she stuck out her tongue at it.
"Bad session today?" he asked her. His voice was just a bit taut, and she recognized the concern there. He was really attached to these three, she reminded herself.
"I haven't had a good session with them yet." She took the notebook and gathered the rest of her things that had scattered around the room over the past two hours. "They know I'm here. Studying them, watching."
"They've been acting strangely, then?" Brock was looking through the two-way mirror at the Pokémon. Rei spared a glance just in case, and saw they were still in the same positions: Bulbasaur asleep in the tree, Squirtle sunning on a rock in the mock-stream, and Pikachu was sitting under the tree piling rocks into small pyramids and then knocking them down over and again.
Rei shook her head and hefted her materials, heading for the door. "Can't say if it's strange or not. I haven't a clue as to how they normally behave." Brock turned and reached to take the materials from her hands. She submitted to his chivalry and led the now overladen Brock down the hall to the room he'd long ago offered her when she'd needed a place to write her thesis. It wasn't until she was unlocking the door that the idea struck her. She stopped and she smacked her forehead in disbelief.
"Videotapes!" she cried, and Brock bumped into her, fumbling a minute to keep the books and papers from falling from his arms.
"Uhm... Rei? Door? Heavy books? Please?"
Rei looked at him a bit distractedly and then focused sharply on him. "Brock. Do you have any videotapes?" She turned and opened the door, gesturing him in.
He thanked her and proceeded to drop the books and papers on the floor by her desk before dropping into one of the guest chairs with a gusty breath. "Guh. That stuff doesn't look it, but it's heavy. Videotapes? What do you want videotapes for? I though the sessions were already taped?"
Rei was still standing in the doorway. "I'm gonna grab Gary and head down to the Pokémon Center. They might have some. Lock the door when you leave, please? I've got some confidential files in the cabinet, there. Thanks!"
She left Brock staring and bewildered, to track her husband down. It didn't take long; he was just coming out of Misty's room when she reached the door. "Is she awake yet?"
Gary ducked his head and kissed her. "No. She's stopped thrashing about so much, though. Which is good, because if I have to change one more bloody sheet, I'll go crazy."
Rei smiled, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You are such a good nurse. Remind me to hire you when I get sick." Gary pulled her closer and sighed.
"You never get sick. And here I was counting on this Nurse-gig to buy that new Porygon I saw Brock bring in yesterday."
Rei laughed. "Isn't one Porygon enough for you, husband mine?" She laughed again at his aghast expression.
Gary pulled back and clutched his chest with both hands. "Enough? Pokémon? There's no such a thing!"
Rei snorted and grabbed his hand. "Come on, you big ham. I want to go to the Pokémon Center and I think I'm gonna need your help."
Gary let himself be tugged along. "Why do you need my help at the Pokémon Center? Didn't you practically live there while you and Brock were working on that series of articles a few years back?"
"Ye-es," Rei admitted as they left the Breeding Center and crossed the street towards Main. "But I need your help, still. I want to look up some videos of your friend Ash and his Pokémon."
"Ahh. Well, I doubt there will be much other than league stuff." Gary stopped and turned her back towards the parking lot of the Breeding Center. "I've got to return May's car, so let's go to Gramp's place and see what he's got."
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When her eyes finally fluttered open, Misty found herself lying on a familiar looking bed.
"Oh, good. You're awake." Brock walked into the room and suddenly Misty knew exactly where she was. Susie's room in the Pewter City Gym. She'd stayed here a couple of times when they had spent the night with Brock's family. She wondered briefly where Susie was now, and watched silently as Brock set down the bowl he was carrying. He reached out a hand and felt her forehead.
"Yay, no more fever. I'll be right back. Can you try and stay awake this time?"
Misty nodded slowly, feeling like her head was full of the rocks this town was famous for. Brock left and came back a moment later carrying a handful of gauze. Misty was surprised to see Gary right behind him.
"...then I might escape without being damaged this time?" Gary was asking Brock as they came into the room. He stood by her bed and looked down at her, his eyes showing concern. "Hey. How are you feeling today?"
Misty didn't know why he would be concerned for her, but then she didn't know how she'd gotten to Pewter either. She tried to speak, but her mouth was dry. She swallowed a few times and finally managed to croak a sound.
Gary sat on the edge of the bed, propped her up her slightly with his arm, and offered her a cup of water. "Here. Now let's try that again, shall we?" He smiled as she drained the contents.
Misty handed him back the empty cup and he let her sink into the bed again. "I'm fine." she managed to make the reply sound like real words this time. "But how did I get here?"
Brock sat at the end of the bed and looked at her. "What do you remember?"
Misty thought for a moment, her eyes darkening as she tried to remember. "We were ambushed by a Scyther..."
Gary whistled. "So that's what it was. I was wondering what could do that much damage." He scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "But wild Scyther travel in tribal-packs, and they don't attack unless provoked."
Brock nodded. "And besides, there aren't any around here. In Pewter, you have to register Scyther with the gym, even if you're just traveling through. So I would know if a trained one was around."
Misty shrugged, drinking the second cup that Gary handed her. "It was a dark Scyther. Abandoned and looking for food. We..." Misty's eyes widened. "The Pokémon! Ohmygod! Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle! Where..." She made as if to get up, but Gary placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, angry. He caught the look and raised his hands in defense.
"Don't worry. They're in the next room. That's as far as they would let us put them. They wanted to stay in here with you, but we convinced them it wasn't a good idea."
Brock smiled. "They're fine. You however, are not. And we need to change that bandage." Bandage? Misty had no idea what Brock was talking about and said so. He stood and lifted the blanket from her feet, Misty ever so glad to find that she was still in her clothes. Gary sighed and looked at her pleadingly.
"Please don't kick me this time, okay?" He stood and sat where Brock had been, lifting her leg against his chest. Misty was surprised to see her leg almost completely swathed in gauze. Brock knelt on the floor and started to unwrap the bandage, revealing a long jagged wound that ran from her thigh to her calf. She gasped and wondered why she hadn't realized it was even there. Surely she would feel something like that?
"But... how..."
Gary shook his head. "You should have seen it two weeks ago. I found you lying in the dirt, bleeding. Bulbasaur was trying to hold the wound together with his vine whip, and Pikachu was trying to hold Squirtle up enough to use watergun and wash out the dirt. Luckily I had borrowed a car, so I drove you straight into town where Brock bandaged you up."
"Two... two weeks? I've been asleep that long?"
Brock shrugged as he worked. "Well, for some of it. Some of the time you were just delirious. Or screaming." He reached for a bowl and Misty watched, fascinated, despite herself. "Or crying. That was the most disturbing, I'll tell you." It was like it was happening to someone else, she felt so disconnected.
"You had an infection and a fever. It's just a matter of waiting for it to finish scarring over, now." Brock continued, as he used the water to clean off the skin near the wound. "Just wait until you start trying to walk on it."
Misty looked at her leg as Brock wrapped it in fresh gauze, looser this time, she knew, to allow the wound to breathe. Two weeks. That meant she was now almost a month out of Pallet Town. She threw her head back to the pillow and groaned. The sound caused both men to look at her.
"Does it hurt?" Gary asked softly, still holding her foot. Misty thought a moment and shook her head. Her leg? No, that wasn't what was hurting. She turned her face to the wall and tried not to think about it. To not cry.
Brock's voice piped up. "It had better not." He taped the last of the gauze and stood as Gary released Misty's leg. "Joy said those painkillers would work miracles, and I don't want to be the one to tell her she was wrong." He gathered up the old bandages and the medical supplies and turned towards the door. Gary stood and followed.
"Pika?" Pikachu appeared in the door, hesitant, shadowed by Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Brock waved them into the room.
"She's awake, guys. You can go in now."
"Squirrrrtle Squirrr Squir Squirtllle!" Squirtle pushed past the others and ran into the room, leaping onto the bed to hug Misty. "Squirrrrrr!"
That did it. The tears started and Misty hugged the turtle hard, then reached for Bulbasaur and Pikachu. Bulbasaur jumped to the bed, but Pikachu held back. She looked at him, standing, twisting his paws.
"Pikachu, what's wrong?" She sniffled, her hand still outstretched. She waved at him. "Come on, there's room..."
Pikachu just looked at her, his eyes big and sad. "Pika, pikapikapi pik. Pikachu pi pi pika pii."
Misty tilted her head, her tears forgotten as she tried to understand what was wrong. "What is it, Pikachu?"
"He says he's sorry that he got you hurt." Misty looked up at Gary, who'd come back into the room bearing a tea tray. "He thinks it was his fault... because he ran away and you were off course because of looking for him... that you got hurt." He set the tray on the bedside table and looked down at Pikachu. "I tried telling him that it wasn't his fault, but he's almost as stubborn as his trainer."
Misty blinked. His trainer. Ash was Pikachu's trainer. She looked at the Pokémon and shook her head. "Pikachu." She sighed. "It's not your fault." She reached over and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, placing him on the bed with her. He tried to shuffle away, but she pulled him into her, tight. "It's okay. I never blamed you."
Gary let them hug a moment then cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone. Brock has your lunch ready in the Breeding Center... let Misty eat hers. You can spend more time together later." The Pokémon gave Misty a final hug and left the room. Misty waved and then turned to Gary with a puzzled look on her face.
"So." She took the tray he handed her and raised an eyebrow. "I guess I should thank you for bringing me here." She looked at the food heaped onto the tray and, deciding that the soup was the only thing she could keep down, passed him the plate of sandwiches. "I guess it was lucky for me that you were passing this way?" She glared at him as he held out a pill.
"Here, painkiller." He answered her look with one of his own. "When Gramps received Ash's Pokémon transfer, he called me. So yes, I was following you."
Misty sipped her soup slowly, then. "How come you're so nice all of a sudden? Usually you're gruff and distant and..." she waved her hands wildly to emphasize her words. "All mysterious-like. Uppity."
Gary blinked. "Uhm... Well. I thought I was always a nice guy. When haven't I been nice?"
She blushed and ducked her head. "Well, you're always calling Ash a loser, and making fun of him. Taunting him... leaving nasty notes..."
Gary grinned. "Yeah. But Misty, we've been doing that since grade school... trying to top each other. We're still friends."
Misty glared at him "It's a sick friendship, then." Misty turned down the power on her glare when Gary nodded.
"I'd change it if I could, Misty. But Ash and I... We're too alike to really ever get along." He stared into space for a minute. "I think we both know it, really. But still..." He looked back at her, taking another sandwich from the tray. "The rivalry keeps us both on our toes... keeps us fresh."
"Until now." Misty's face fell away, and Gary nodded slowly.
"We'll talk more about that later. You done?" He pointed to the tray and she nodded. "Good. Brock promised to kill me if I brought back a full tray. You get some sleep, okay?"
Misty looked at him again. "That's another thing. You and Brock... you seem to be getting along very well?"
"Yeah. Well, I did happen to meet him before you did, you know." Gary smiled as he stood and took the tray. "But besides that, he happens to be my wife's cousin, so we see each other quite a bit."
Misty's eyes popped. "WIFE? But you.. you're the.. the same... age as..."
"Ash. Yeah, I know." Gary nodded. "You can meet her later. She works with abandoned and abused Pokémon, so she's been helping with Pikachu and the others. " He started to leave the room and stopped, turning back to her with a slow grin. "Y'know... I probably met Rei about the same time you and Ash met, so I guess that's one more thing for him to catch up to me on..."
To Be Continued...
-------------------------------
DISTRIBUTION: Please respect my (limited) copyright and ASK
permission to borrow this story. This will be posted to my website
(http://draxonious.tripod.com/), fanfic.net, fanfic.org, the AAMRN
yahoo group and the PFFML yahoo group.
Please send any feedback to maeyan@mailcity.com
(part 5 of 7)
by Maeyan (maeyan@mailcity.com)
DISCLAIMER: While I have traded many pieces of paper for their goods,
I have no ownership or rights to the characters, etc of Pokémon.
If they're looking for new owners, however I get dibs on Gary!
-----------------
Part five:
It was late and Brock was exhausted. Gary had shown up at his door over ten hours ago with a bleeding Misty in his arms and three of Ash's Pokémon struggling behind him, obviously exhausted and in desperate need of assistance themselves. With Gary's help, he'd managed to get Misty's wound cleaned and stabilized and then contacted Joy for an emergency visit. Only now that he'd been assured that everyone was going to be okay did he turn loose holy hell on Gary.
"I don't know, Brock!" Gary ran his hand through his hair in frustration. Again. Brock refrained from throwing him against the wall. Again. "I told you, Gramps sent an urgent message and when I got there Misty and the Pokémon were running out the door. I didn't see them again until I found her like this!"
Brock tossed his head back and tried to calm down. Misty was like another sister to him and he wanted, no, needed, to know what had happened. "Okay. Let's have a drink and then you can start from the beginning again."
He led Gary into the spacious kitchen and reached up into the cupboard he hadn't opened since the night his last sibling left home. He pulled the half-empty bottle down and filled two glasses to the brim with the amber liquid, then hesitated. Better put the bottle back, Brock, he told himself. She's gonna be okay, you're just scared.
"She's gonna be okay, Brock." Gary's hand cupped the Breeder's shoulder with a reassuring pressure as he echoed Brock's own thoughts. "I found her in plenty of time and you heard Nurse Joy - the Pokémon took good care to keep her stable and safe."
Brock nodded, put the bottle back in the cupboard and turned, handing Gary one of the two glasses. He swallowed more than half of his own drink and forced himself to switch out of desperately terrified parent mode and back into overly concerned friend mode.
"So, tell me what happened. From the top." He walked to the dining room and sat down; Gary followed and sat down with a frown.
"Well, I got the story from Gramps and it was kind of sketchy. Basically Ash and Misty seemed to have some sort of fight and he took off. What doesn't make sense is that he not only left Pikachu and his other Pokémon behind, but he actually had them transferred to Misty." Gary took a small sip of his drink and coughed. "What is this? Bug repellent?"
"Homebrew," Brock answered as he took another long swallow, ignoring Gary's look of absolute horror. "Go on."
"That's pretty much all I know. I think Ash has run away to his dad's place on Gemuoba Island. I just have to figure out why."
Brock drained his glass and stared at his friend. Why did Gary care so much about Ash? "Why?"
"Why?" Gary repeated and Brock nodded and watched as the young trainer swirled a finger around the rim of his glass. Gary shrugged and gave a wry grin. "Because I kinda wonder if I didn't drive him to it. Giving up Pokémon and all. I was pretty rough to him for a while there."
Brock snorted and carried his glass to the sink. "As much as I'm sure you'd like to think otherwise, you are not endowed with godlike powers. I sincerely doubt you had a thing to do with Ash's leaving." He turned and leaned against the counter.
Gary leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Yeah. But I gotta wonder. It had to take something big to make Ash leave Misty after all these years. And without Pikachu?"
Brock nodded. "We'll have to wait until she wakes up to get the rest of the story. Since you were following her, I assume you called Gemouba to find out if he's there?"
"Gramps did. Or rather tried. The receptionist said he wasn't there, and I got the run-around... when I tried calling... calling... " Gary jumped up with a look of absolute horror on his face. "Oh my god. I forgot to call Rei!" He looked around the room frantically, and his eyes lit up as they located the vid-phone in the corner of the room. "Brock, can I use your phone, please?"
Brock waved him towards the contraption and smiled softly.
-----------------------------------------
"I don't understand, hon. Some old friend of yours has left his girlfriend and now you have to go find his father?" Brock was sitting in the living room and he could hear both sides of the conversation clearly.
"No." Gary sighed and Brock had to snicker. He had to. The conversation had been running along the same lines for almost half an hour now. "But he left Misty and his hat and then..."
"His... hat? Gar, if you wanted a boys-night-out, you could've just asked. I'm not going to cry or anything."
Brock knew Gary was about to cry himself, and he was tempted to try to help the young man get his point across. Just tempted, mind you...
"Honey, look. Ash and I have been friends for years. He's been raising Pokémon for as long as I have. Then one day he abandons them, even the Pikachu he's had since we were ten, and disappears... and I need to find out what's wrong."
Uh oh, thought Brock. That was not the best way to put it. Tell a Pokémon therapist that somebody abandoned his Pokémon and expect her to feel sympathy for him?
click
There was silence and Brock shook his head. If he knew Rei at all, and he did indeed know his cousin, he knew what was coming next. He waited. Ten... nine...
"Hon?" Gary's voice cracked just a bit. Brock continued to count... eight... seven...
"She hung up. I'm in trouble. Oh god. Three months of marriage, and I'm already in trouble."
Six... five...
"Hey Brock? Should I call her back?"
Four... three...
"Or will I just get in bigger trouble?"
Two.. one... Brinnnnnnngg Brinnnng... Brock reached for the Breeding Center's cordless telephone at his elbow. "Pewter City Breeding Center. Hello?"
It was Rei. "Hey Brock. This friend of my husband's, Dusty or whatever his name is. You say he's abandoned his Pokémon?"
Brock smiled. She was ticked. She knew Ash's name as well as he did. They'd discussed his Pokémon techniques dozens of times. "Mhm. Apparently so, yes. But, well, only three of them know about it, as far as I'm aware."
"Only three?" Brock could almost hear her turning the situation over in her mind. "And how long have they been with him?"
He frowned, thinking back to when he'd first met Ash. "Well, I believe it's about ten years for all three."
"Hmm. Then I guess they're not taking it too well, are they? Were they close to him?"
"Oh, yes. And they're taking it rather badly." He heard her sigh as he hit a nerve with the therapist.
"And this girlfriend of his? Do they get along with her too? Do they like her?" Gary walked into the room and plopped down in a chair, wide eyed in disbelief. Brock smirked as he realized that Gary didn't know who was on the other end of his conversation.
"They get along fairly well, actually. Like her? No, I'd say it's stronger than that. She's known them almost the same amount of time."
"Is she an okay trainer, Brock? Do I need to file anything or call anyone? I know she's your friend, but I know you and..." she trailed off and Brock smiled.
"Well, she's pretty badly hurt right now, but yes she does know what she's doing. But I don't think that makes it any better for them. She's a water-type only, but she's fairly experienced. A former Gym Leader, you know."
Rei snorted. "Yeah, and you know my opinions on gyms. I'll be over in a few hours. Tell that husband of mine to behave until I get there."
"Alrighty then. Thanks a lot! This means a bunch to me, you know. Bye." Brock pushed the button and placed the phone back on the table. Gary looked up at the sound and frowned.
"Brock? She hung up on me. What do I do? Should I apologize?" He stood and whirled back towards the vid-phone. "I should apologize. Yeah. Apologize. Can I use your phone again? I'll reverse the charges..."
Brock smiled and returned to his paper. "Don't bother. That was Rei on the phone. She's on her way over. Says she can't wait to meet this woman who's raised such protective instincts in you." Brock smiled as he heard Gary's groan.
"But it's just... And Misty's not... Oh man. I'm in trouble."
Brock looked up, but the look in Gary's eye stopped him from continuing his fun. He sighed. It didn't pay, sometimes, to be a good guy. "Relax, Gary. She's coming over to help with Pikachu, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. She doesn't give a damn about a guy who abandons his Pokémon, and she's worried about them, not you. My cousin knows she's got you wrapped around her finger."
Gary relaxed, smiled. Then, "Hey!"
And Brock smirked. Even good guys had to have *some* fun.
______________________
Jessie slammed the file drawer shut and glared at the clock. Well, she glared at the space on the wall where she would have put a clock, if she'd had one. She sank into her chair, her glare turning to a sigh as she let her head fall to the desk. She was bored. "Join Team Rocket..." she muttered sarcastically, "file papers, answer telephones... sit alone in a room all day..."
It wouldn't be so bad, she thought, if only people would talk to her. But she'd never made friends very easily, and being stuck away in a corner office didn't help the situation. Most of all, she missed James.
She smiled a bit at the thought of her ex-partner. When they'd finally been called to the carpet for failing to capture any rare Pokémon, let alone the twerp's Pikachu, she'd been worried about what would happen to them. But it hadn't been too bad - Meowth had been recalled to headquarters but she and James had been reassigned here, together: she to the secretary pool and James to the mailroom, where, and this was the part she didn't really understand, he'd quickly become the darling of the entire office. He wasn't too swift in the brain department, sometimes, but he still had people practically lining up to spend time with him.
The phone rang again, interrupting her musings. She reached for it, waving as James walked in at the same time.
"Starship Publishing, this is Jessica. How may I help you?"
****
James waved back, perching on a corner of her desk as he waited for her to finish her call. He enjoyed lunchtime most of all. Not only did he get to spend an entire hour with Jessie, but he got to eat at the same time. He lifted the oversized lunch he'd packed this morning and waggled his eyebrows at his friend. She waved him away, turning her head as she tried to concentrate on the phone call. From the soothing murmurs of her voice, James guessed it was another irate writer. He shook his head and sighed. Poor Jessie. She got yelled at more now that they were legit, than she ever did when they were thieving together. Of course, he thought, when they were on the road, she was usually the one doing the yelling...
He listened as she calmed the caller down and managed to wring from him an idea of what was wrong. She was good, James thought. Too bad she was so bored. Her mind just wasn't occupied enough with this position, as she'd told him more than once. It frustrated him, since he actually liked the idea of steadily working for a living - not worrying about where they'd sleep or if they would even eat that day... He looked again at the lunch in his hands. No one in the office could figure out why he always ate lunch with her. She didn't have many friends... He smiled. She didn't have any friends other than him, and he... He looked back at her as she hung up the phone.
"Ready, Jess?" he asked as she reached under the desk for her "out of office" sign. She smiled at him and his heart flipflopped in the pleasant way he'd long been used to.
He'd never had a giant epiphany or anything. He'd just gradually realized that while Jessie was his best friend she was also more than that. He couldn't even remember when he'd finally admitted it to himself, when he finally acknowledged, simply, 'I love Jessie.' He'd just accepted it as another fact of life (we steal Pokémon, we fail at everything, there's no money for food, I love Jessie) and moved on.
He had wondered, though, why he couldn't tell her. The closest he'd come was when the Boss had been about to separate them and he'd stubbornly refused to leave her side. The Boss had glared at them and finally waved a hand in frustration, sending them both to the publishing house.
Jessie dragging him out of the building brought him back to the present. He knew she'd spent the entire day waiting for lunch: it was her only chance to get out of the building and pretend that she wasn't at someone else's mercy. They found a grassy spot under a tree in the nearby park and sat to eat with gusto. James again was glad that they had steady jobs and could actually eat food that wasn't days old or bought with the knowledge that they would have to wash dishes for a week to pay for it. He wondered briefly if Meowth was having as wonderful a life as he was.
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Rei didn't look up when the door opened. She was long used to her older cousin walking in and waiting in silence while she finished her observations; he knew to be quiet and not distract her. Just as she knew not to try to tell him his job. She didn't, this time, ignore his presence for long. She reached over and threw the switch that shut off the speakers between the rooms, her notebook sliding to the floor. Brock leaned over to hand it back to her, frowning as she stuck out her tongue at it.
"Bad session today?" he asked her. His voice was just a bit taut, and she recognized the concern there. He was really attached to these three, she reminded herself.
"I haven't had a good session with them yet." She took the notebook and gathered the rest of her things that had scattered around the room over the past two hours. "They know I'm here. Studying them, watching."
"They've been acting strangely, then?" Brock was looking through the two-way mirror at the Pokémon. Rei spared a glance just in case, and saw they were still in the same positions: Bulbasaur asleep in the tree, Squirtle sunning on a rock in the mock-stream, and Pikachu was sitting under the tree piling rocks into small pyramids and then knocking them down over and again.
Rei shook her head and hefted her materials, heading for the door. "Can't say if it's strange or not. I haven't a clue as to how they normally behave." Brock turned and reached to take the materials from her hands. She submitted to his chivalry and led the now overladen Brock down the hall to the room he'd long ago offered her when she'd needed a place to write her thesis. It wasn't until she was unlocking the door that the idea struck her. She stopped and she smacked her forehead in disbelief.
"Videotapes!" she cried, and Brock bumped into her, fumbling a minute to keep the books and papers from falling from his arms.
"Uhm... Rei? Door? Heavy books? Please?"
Rei looked at him a bit distractedly and then focused sharply on him. "Brock. Do you have any videotapes?" She turned and opened the door, gesturing him in.
He thanked her and proceeded to drop the books and papers on the floor by her desk before dropping into one of the guest chairs with a gusty breath. "Guh. That stuff doesn't look it, but it's heavy. Videotapes? What do you want videotapes for? I though the sessions were already taped?"
Rei was still standing in the doorway. "I'm gonna grab Gary and head down to the Pokémon Center. They might have some. Lock the door when you leave, please? I've got some confidential files in the cabinet, there. Thanks!"
She left Brock staring and bewildered, to track her husband down. It didn't take long; he was just coming out of Misty's room when she reached the door. "Is she awake yet?"
Gary ducked his head and kissed her. "No. She's stopped thrashing about so much, though. Which is good, because if I have to change one more bloody sheet, I'll go crazy."
Rei smiled, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You are such a good nurse. Remind me to hire you when I get sick." Gary pulled her closer and sighed.
"You never get sick. And here I was counting on this Nurse-gig to buy that new Porygon I saw Brock bring in yesterday."
Rei laughed. "Isn't one Porygon enough for you, husband mine?" She laughed again at his aghast expression.
Gary pulled back and clutched his chest with both hands. "Enough? Pokémon? There's no such a thing!"
Rei snorted and grabbed his hand. "Come on, you big ham. I want to go to the Pokémon Center and I think I'm gonna need your help."
Gary let himself be tugged along. "Why do you need my help at the Pokémon Center? Didn't you practically live there while you and Brock were working on that series of articles a few years back?"
"Ye-es," Rei admitted as they left the Breeding Center and crossed the street towards Main. "But I need your help, still. I want to look up some videos of your friend Ash and his Pokémon."
"Ahh. Well, I doubt there will be much other than league stuff." Gary stopped and turned her back towards the parking lot of the Breeding Center. "I've got to return May's car, so let's go to Gramp's place and see what he's got."
---------------------------------------
When her eyes finally fluttered open, Misty found herself lying on a familiar looking bed.
"Oh, good. You're awake." Brock walked into the room and suddenly Misty knew exactly where she was. Susie's room in the Pewter City Gym. She'd stayed here a couple of times when they had spent the night with Brock's family. She wondered briefly where Susie was now, and watched silently as Brock set down the bowl he was carrying. He reached out a hand and felt her forehead.
"Yay, no more fever. I'll be right back. Can you try and stay awake this time?"
Misty nodded slowly, feeling like her head was full of the rocks this town was famous for. Brock left and came back a moment later carrying a handful of gauze. Misty was surprised to see Gary right behind him.
"...then I might escape without being damaged this time?" Gary was asking Brock as they came into the room. He stood by her bed and looked down at her, his eyes showing concern. "Hey. How are you feeling today?"
Misty didn't know why he would be concerned for her, but then she didn't know how she'd gotten to Pewter either. She tried to speak, but her mouth was dry. She swallowed a few times and finally managed to croak a sound.
Gary sat on the edge of the bed, propped her up her slightly with his arm, and offered her a cup of water. "Here. Now let's try that again, shall we?" He smiled as she drained the contents.
Misty handed him back the empty cup and he let her sink into the bed again. "I'm fine." she managed to make the reply sound like real words this time. "But how did I get here?"
Brock sat at the end of the bed and looked at her. "What do you remember?"
Misty thought for a moment, her eyes darkening as she tried to remember. "We were ambushed by a Scyther..."
Gary whistled. "So that's what it was. I was wondering what could do that much damage." He scratched his cheek thoughtfully. "But wild Scyther travel in tribal-packs, and they don't attack unless provoked."
Brock nodded. "And besides, there aren't any around here. In Pewter, you have to register Scyther with the gym, even if you're just traveling through. So I would know if a trained one was around."
Misty shrugged, drinking the second cup that Gary handed her. "It was a dark Scyther. Abandoned and looking for food. We..." Misty's eyes widened. "The Pokémon! Ohmygod! Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle! Where..." She made as if to get up, but Gary placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, angry. He caught the look and raised his hands in defense.
"Don't worry. They're in the next room. That's as far as they would let us put them. They wanted to stay in here with you, but we convinced them it wasn't a good idea."
Brock smiled. "They're fine. You however, are not. And we need to change that bandage." Bandage? Misty had no idea what Brock was talking about and said so. He stood and lifted the blanket from her feet, Misty ever so glad to find that she was still in her clothes. Gary sighed and looked at her pleadingly.
"Please don't kick me this time, okay?" He stood and sat where Brock had been, lifting her leg against his chest. Misty was surprised to see her leg almost completely swathed in gauze. Brock knelt on the floor and started to unwrap the bandage, revealing a long jagged wound that ran from her thigh to her calf. She gasped and wondered why she hadn't realized it was even there. Surely she would feel something like that?
"But... how..."
Gary shook his head. "You should have seen it two weeks ago. I found you lying in the dirt, bleeding. Bulbasaur was trying to hold the wound together with his vine whip, and Pikachu was trying to hold Squirtle up enough to use watergun and wash out the dirt. Luckily I had borrowed a car, so I drove you straight into town where Brock bandaged you up."
"Two... two weeks? I've been asleep that long?"
Brock shrugged as he worked. "Well, for some of it. Some of the time you were just delirious. Or screaming." He reached for a bowl and Misty watched, fascinated, despite herself. "Or crying. That was the most disturbing, I'll tell you." It was like it was happening to someone else, she felt so disconnected.
"You had an infection and a fever. It's just a matter of waiting for it to finish scarring over, now." Brock continued, as he used the water to clean off the skin near the wound. "Just wait until you start trying to walk on it."
Misty looked at her leg as Brock wrapped it in fresh gauze, looser this time, she knew, to allow the wound to breathe. Two weeks. That meant she was now almost a month out of Pallet Town. She threw her head back to the pillow and groaned. The sound caused both men to look at her.
"Does it hurt?" Gary asked softly, still holding her foot. Misty thought a moment and shook her head. Her leg? No, that wasn't what was hurting. She turned her face to the wall and tried not to think about it. To not cry.
Brock's voice piped up. "It had better not." He taped the last of the gauze and stood as Gary released Misty's leg. "Joy said those painkillers would work miracles, and I don't want to be the one to tell her she was wrong." He gathered up the old bandages and the medical supplies and turned towards the door. Gary stood and followed.
"Pika?" Pikachu appeared in the door, hesitant, shadowed by Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Brock waved them into the room.
"She's awake, guys. You can go in now."
"Squirrrrtle Squirrr Squir Squirtllle!" Squirtle pushed past the others and ran into the room, leaping onto the bed to hug Misty. "Squirrrrrr!"
That did it. The tears started and Misty hugged the turtle hard, then reached for Bulbasaur and Pikachu. Bulbasaur jumped to the bed, but Pikachu held back. She looked at him, standing, twisting his paws.
"Pikachu, what's wrong?" She sniffled, her hand still outstretched. She waved at him. "Come on, there's room..."
Pikachu just looked at her, his eyes big and sad. "Pika, pikapikapi pik. Pikachu pi pi pika pii."
Misty tilted her head, her tears forgotten as she tried to understand what was wrong. "What is it, Pikachu?"
"He says he's sorry that he got you hurt." Misty looked up at Gary, who'd come back into the room bearing a tea tray. "He thinks it was his fault... because he ran away and you were off course because of looking for him... that you got hurt." He set the tray on the bedside table and looked down at Pikachu. "I tried telling him that it wasn't his fault, but he's almost as stubborn as his trainer."
Misty blinked. His trainer. Ash was Pikachu's trainer. She looked at the Pokémon and shook her head. "Pikachu." She sighed. "It's not your fault." She reached over and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, placing him on the bed with her. He tried to shuffle away, but she pulled him into her, tight. "It's okay. I never blamed you."
Gary let them hug a moment then cleared his throat. "Okay, everyone. Brock has your lunch ready in the Breeding Center... let Misty eat hers. You can spend more time together later." The Pokémon gave Misty a final hug and left the room. Misty waved and then turned to Gary with a puzzled look on her face.
"So." She took the tray he handed her and raised an eyebrow. "I guess I should thank you for bringing me here." She looked at the food heaped onto the tray and, deciding that the soup was the only thing she could keep down, passed him the plate of sandwiches. "I guess it was lucky for me that you were passing this way?" She glared at him as he held out a pill.
"Here, painkiller." He answered her look with one of his own. "When Gramps received Ash's Pokémon transfer, he called me. So yes, I was following you."
Misty sipped her soup slowly, then. "How come you're so nice all of a sudden? Usually you're gruff and distant and..." she waved her hands wildly to emphasize her words. "All mysterious-like. Uppity."
Gary blinked. "Uhm... Well. I thought I was always a nice guy. When haven't I been nice?"
She blushed and ducked her head. "Well, you're always calling Ash a loser, and making fun of him. Taunting him... leaving nasty notes..."
Gary grinned. "Yeah. But Misty, we've been doing that since grade school... trying to top each other. We're still friends."
Misty glared at him "It's a sick friendship, then." Misty turned down the power on her glare when Gary nodded.
"I'd change it if I could, Misty. But Ash and I... We're too alike to really ever get along." He stared into space for a minute. "I think we both know it, really. But still..." He looked back at her, taking another sandwich from the tray. "The rivalry keeps us both on our toes... keeps us fresh."
"Until now." Misty's face fell away, and Gary nodded slowly.
"We'll talk more about that later. You done?" He pointed to the tray and she nodded. "Good. Brock promised to kill me if I brought back a full tray. You get some sleep, okay?"
Misty looked at him again. "That's another thing. You and Brock... you seem to be getting along very well?"
"Yeah. Well, I did happen to meet him before you did, you know." Gary smiled as he stood and took the tray. "But besides that, he happens to be my wife's cousin, so we see each other quite a bit."
Misty's eyes popped. "WIFE? But you.. you're the.. the same... age as..."
"Ash. Yeah, I know." Gary nodded. "You can meet her later. She works with abandoned and abused Pokémon, so she's been helping with Pikachu and the others. " He started to leave the room and stopped, turning back to her with a slow grin. "Y'know... I probably met Rei about the same time you and Ash met, so I guess that's one more thing for him to catch up to me on..."
To Be Continued...
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