Chapter 4-
Of Emotional breakdowns & near-salary cuts
Note: Okay, from here on out, this is how it works.
"quotation": Dialogue /or thought, depending on the context.
"AND NOW YOUR MORNING FORCAS..." The radio blared as Robin hit the off button on it. Stretching, she yawned. "Okay, Bryars. Time to get up." There was no reply. "I'm not kidding, Bryars. Get up." No movement. "Ok. I'll just have to call the boss then, and tell him how you feel about him." No response. Robin was losing her patience. "GET UP, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Robin yelled. Not even a flinch. Suddenly, something caught Robin's eye: the roses on Esther's chest.
Robin picked up the card and read it. She frowned. "Why does she get a secret admirer, and not me? And why won't she get up?" She checked her breathing and pulse. Both were present. Robin raced to the phone to call Giovanni. "Hello, who is this?" Giovanni asked impatiently.
"Sir, it's me, Robin."
"Well, what is it?"
"It's Esther, sir."
Giovanni's voice changed to one of concern. "What about Ms. Bryars?"
"She won't wake up! I think she's unconscious!"
"What?!"
"I tried everything. The only clue to it all is some roses that are on her chest."
"Keep her warm and I'll be right there!" Giovanni said, then he hung up. "Oh, Essie. I'm so sorry about all of this!" He thought, racing to Robin and Esther's room.
Two minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Robin opened it, revealing Giovanni, who was gasping for air. "Are you okay, sir?" Robin asked worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where is she?" "Over on her bed, sir." Giovanni went over to Esther's side and checked her breathing and pulse. Both were still present. Giovanni carefully picked Esther up in his arms. "We need to get her to the lab for tests!" He said, holding her tenderly but securely. Together, Giovanni and Robin headed for the labs as quickly as was humanly possible.
*****
"Will she be ok?" Esther heard Giovanni ask in a troubled voice as she regained consciousness. "She should be." The doctor replied.
"What caused her to black out?"
"We don't know. The tests haven't come back yet." The doctor put his hand on Giovanni's shoulder. "We shall understand what did it soon enough, sir."
"I sure hope so, for her sake." Giovanni said, sighing sadly, as he looked over at Esther. He moved over to her bed, looking for any trace that she might have come to while they were talking. She was coming around, slowly, but surely.
Just then, a lab boy with emerald eyes came in, holding papers in his hands. "Well, did we find out what caused it?" The doctor asked impatiently. "Yes, sir." The youth answered, handing the papers to the doctor. "She was subjected to a lot of sleep powder." Giovanni's jaw dropped. "Oh no, I did this to her! This is my entire fault!" He thought as he silently cursed himself for being so stupid. He ran his fingers through Esther's hair, fondling it affectionately. The stroking unconfined a weak smell of coconut, from the shampoo, into the room. "I'm sorry I did this to you, Esther." He whispered, kissing her hand and caressing her face gently. "If I'd only known that that much sleep powder was going to be released, I wouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry... forgive me." Robin smiled as she saw him kissing Esther's hand. "He really is concerned for her. I guess I was right about him liking her." She said to herself.
Suddenly Giovanni heard Esther moan. He looked at her face. Her eyelids were slowly opening. "Guys, she's waking up!" He called to the others quietly, so as to not frighten Esther. "What?! She is?! Good. Now I want to see how she's doing." The doctor said loudly, hurrying over to Esther. "Owww...my head hurts..." Esther said, shutting her eyes in pain as the noise continued. "Where am I? Boss, what are you doing here?" "You're in Team Rocket's labs. As for me, Robin called when she found out you were unconscious, and I rushed down to your room. We brought you here shortly afterward." Giovanni said softly. "How long was I out?" Esther asked shyly, as she noticed Giovanni still running his hand through her hair. "Probably ten hours, my guess." The doctor said. Esther looked over at him. "What time is it?" She asked. "About 11:30 a.m." Giovanni said, glancing at his watch. "More or less."
Giovanni noticed that Esther looked like she was in pain, and put one of his arms around her. "You okay, Esther?" He asked fearfully. "My head hurts, and I'm cold, but that's all." Esther replied, shivering.
"You need anything?"
"Two 200mg Advil, something to take it with, and a blanket would be nice. But I can live without them."
"I'll get them for you, Esther."
"Really, I can..." Esther started to protest, but Giovanni was already out of the room.
Giovanni ran to his office as quickly as he could. He knew he had a bountiful supply of Ibuprofen (when you have half-wits like Jesse & James working for you in the future, you need a BIG supply of headache medicine.) in his desk. He grabbed the two Advil, a nice, warm blanket out of the supplies room, and a cup to put water in. About halfway down the hall from the labs, he filled the cup up with water from the drinking fountains (fresh from Mt. Moon, mind you.), and went on to the labs.
While Giovanni was out getting the various items, Robin snickered. "What? What's so funny, Robin?" Esther asked, confused. "Isn't it obvious the Boss likes you? The way he ran his fingers through your hair, the way he carried you to the labs, the way he put his arm around you, the way he asked if there was anything you needed, how he dashed out of the room to get the stuff...I can just see it now." Robin said, humming the wedding march. "Watch it, Robin...you're biting off more than you can chew, as far as I'm concerned. The Boss was just worried, that's all. Soon, he'll be back to his normal self, I can assure you." Esther growled, then she winced as pain shot through her head. "Oww..." She whimpered, as a tear ran down her cheek from the pain.
No more than six minutes later (two going, four coming back), Giovanni entered the labs and frowned when he saw Esther crying from the pain. He walked over to where she was, and sat down next to her bed and put his hand on her shoulder. Esther looked up to see him as he handed her the water and Advil. He spread the blanket over her, making sure her whole body was covered. She smiled as he did so. "Thank you, but you really shouldn't have. I could have done it myself." She said softly. "It's ok. I didn't mind at all." Giovanni said. "You feel better now?" "Yes, thank you for your concern." Esther flashed him her prettiest smile that her aching head would allow her to. "You're welcome, Esther." He blushed a pale shade of red. "Um...I'm sure you have better things to do than stay here with me." As Esther said this, Robin frowned. "No! Don't do that, Bryars. You'll lose him!" She whispered. Unfortunately, she said it loud enough for Giovanni to hear. "What about 'losing him', Robin?" Giovanni said, shooting a glance at her. "She thinks you like me and I like you in more than a 'employer-employee' way." Esther said, growling at Robin angrily.
"Well, she does, sir." Robin said, trying her best to get Esther in trouble.
"I do not!" Esther retaliated.
"Do too!" Robin said, then stuck out her tongue and taunted Esther, animé-style. Esther knew that somebody had to break the chain, or Giovanni was going to confront her with the subject directly, her weak-point. "Ok, so maybe I do, maybe I don't. It's none of your business either way." She said heatedly at Robin, and then cooled down. "Will you please drop the subject, Robin?! I would like to ask Ms. Esther about the events leading up to her fainting, if you don't mind!" Giovanni said angrily, then he forced himself to calm down.
"When did you faint?" He asked Esther. "I think...around...eleven-fifteen or somewhere around there." Esther answered. Giovanni flinched. You got it right on target, Essie. But he wasn't about to say it aloud. "That means someone got into your room last night." He said coolly. "Someone was in the room besides us?!" Robin exclaimed fearfully. "Yes, that's right! I remember that!" Esther said excitedly. "You mean you saw that someone in the room?!" Robin asked. "Yes. It was after a very, uh... nice dream and I reluctantly woke up after it and a man was standing over me. I tried to scream, but he, um..." here she blushed a bright red. "Pressed his lips against mine to make me be quiet. It worked pretty well too. Anyway, I asked him who he was, and he said to call him John for the time being." "John...got it." Giovanni said, who, from somewhere, had gotten a pad of paper and pencil. "Go on." "Well," Esther continued. "I asked if we had met before, and he said that he had seen me and had to meet me." "At 11:00 at night?" Giovanni asked. "'It was convenient,' he said." Esther explained, not noticing this was almost the exact conversation she and 'John' had had the night before.
"For you, it wasn't."
"I know. But he said he was sorry. He wanted to surprise me, or that's what he said."
"He probably came close to frightening you to death, especially with that kiss."
"Yeah, then he said, 'Um...Esther. I'm sorry, but I have no choice but to do this.' Then he told his Vileplume to use sleep powder on me. I tried to fight it off, but there was just too much of it. Plus, I was very tired." Esther said, hanging her head.
"Hey, you tried, and that's all that matters." Giovanni said, warmly embracing Esther, who looked fearfully at Robin and gave her a look that said, "Ok, Ok. You were right." Robin smiled triumphantly, but wasn't about to help Esther. To Esther, she mouthed the words, "You got yourself into it, now you'll have to get out of it."
Esther grimaced as Giovanni continued to nuzzle closer to her. "I'm so glad you're okay, Esther." He said, kissing her cheek for about the 20th time. Esther decided there was nothing else she could do but go along with the embrace. She put her head on his shoulder, waiting for him to loosen his grip. She sat there in his arms, feeling unusually safe. "Wow," she thought. "He makes me feel so...warm &...fuzzy." She returned the hug, putting her arms around his neck. Robin couldn't stop from giggling, watching them cuddle. After several minutes, Esther decided that it was high time for him to let go. "Um...thanks for caring about me." Esther said warmly. "Now...could you kindly let me go? It's getting hard for me to breathe, you're squeezing me so hard." "Oh, sorry. I guess I'm just really glad you're Ok." Giovanni grinned sheepishly, as he released her. Then he noticed Robin was watching them. "Um...Robin, don't you have work you need to do?" "Huh? What wor..." Robin started to ask, then caught Giovanni's glance. "Oh! That work! I forgot completely about it." Robin realized, running from the room in a random direction.
"What work? Esther asked Giovanni, confused. "Anything to get her out of here, that's what." Giovanni said, putting his arm around her. "Oh no. Not again. Not another hug. It felt ok, but I'm not ready for this." Esther thought fearfully. To her surprise, Giovanni merely pulled her close to him. "Now, how 'bout answering one or two questions, Bryars?" He whispered in her ear gently, so as not to arouse her headache, which had been gone for a while. "Sure, sir. What would you like to know?" She asked, looking into his deep brown eyes. "Are you single?" Giovanni asked sheepishly. Esther looked at him, shocked. Giovanni snickered when he saw the look on her face. "Just kidding!" He said, still laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face! Pure shock!" He said, shaking his head. "You mean you're not serious about the question?" She inquired. "No, I just wanted to see your reaction to it!" He smiled happily. "Oh, before I forget, these were on you chest this morning. I think your 'boyfriend' left them." He said, handing her the roses from the night before. They were slightly wilted, but still pretty.
"Huh? I don't remember anything about roses." She said, obviously confused. "Oh well." She smelled the roses, and sighed. "Never mind where they came from! They smell great!" Giovanni smelled them and smiled. "Yes, they smell quite good." He said, then he thought to himself, Thank you for the complement, Es. "Whoever grows these is quite the gardener!" Esther said, smiling. "Here's the card that came with it. It seems you have a secret admirer." Giovanni said, trying to keep a straight face. Esther took the card and read it aloud. " 'My dearest Essie, These roses are for you, Hadassah Esther Bryars. For you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Please, meet me at that café on Elm and 33rd street on Saturday at seven o'clock. You will know who I am when you see me. If you cannot come, call my voicemail at 639-7351. I long to be with you, my dove. Yours truly, your secret admirer." She gasped as she read it. "Oh, don't tell me I'm being stalked! I thought no one knew my real name or my nickname. After my friend Giovanni, who called me Essie, moved away from Pallet Town, I never went by my first name again, I was so crushed. And I never let anyone call me Essie again after that!" She blurted out, sobbing out of fear. "Hey, hey, calm down, Esther." Giovanni drew her closer. "If you don't stop crying and chill out, I'll hug you again."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Would I?" Giovanni said, wrapping his arms around her. "Ok, Ok! I'll quit crying, just stop holding me in your arms!" Esther cried, as more tears rolled down her face. Just then, the doctor walked in to check on Esther, and wasn't surprised to see her crying. "Don't worry, sir. It's just side effects of the sleep powder." He said softly. "Irritability is a side effect of this stuff?" Giovanni asked, confused. "I'm not irritable." Esther said defensively. "Yes, you are, Ms. Bryars." The doctor said, smiling. "Don't worry, Boss. She'll be back to her normal, sweet, non-irritable self." He said, emphasizing non-irritable. Giovanni frowned. "When exactly will she be back to her normal self?"
"About two or three days."
"Isn't there anything we can give her to hurry it up?"
"Sorry, sir. The most reliable method for this is to let the body get rid of the remainder of the sleep powder by itself."
"So it's almost like withdrawal symptoms, doctor?"
"Exactly."
"So," Esther said, "When my body doesn't have any more sleep powder in it, I won't act so weird?"
"I thought we just said that." Giovanni said, frowning.
"Sorry, just verifying." Esther said, lowering her eyes so that they did not meet Giovanni's. The Triforce mark on her left hand glowed through her black gloves. Giovanni looked at the mark, wondering what it was.
Suddenly, blue light surrounded Esther. She took off the glove, revealing the mark underneath. "Purify*" a voice said. Giovanni looked at her, bewildered. What in the world...he thought. He heard singing in the background, and then he realized it was Esther. She was singing a song that he didn't think he had heard before, but it sounded familiar, like he had heard it long ago. As she sang, Esther felt energy fill and cleanse her body of the powder. As the blue light decreased, so did her song. When it had diminished completely, her singing had also. In her right hand was a vial containing blue powder. "Your powder, doctor." She said, handing the test tube to the doctor, her violet eyes sparkling. "Is it not the same powder that ailed me?" "Well..." the doctor began, still shaken by what he had just seen. "We have to run some tests on it, and you. But I think so." "Why must you run more tests on me?" Esther asked, testing Giovanni's authority. "Because we have to see how much powder is in your body, that's why!" Giovanni said, not happy about his power being challenged so. "Don't you see, Boss? This IS the powder that pained my body! It was in my body, now it is not." Esther said, frowning. "It can't be. There's just no way." Giovanni argued. "Fine, believe what you want, sir." Esther said, a hint of hurt in her voice. "Do all the tests you please, but that's the powder."
After about several tests on the powder, it was confirmed that it was indeed sleeping powder. "Doesn't mean a thing." Giovanni said, crossing his arms. As Esther had a blood test done, Giovanni thought to himself. "What if she told the truth and that is the powder...No it can't be. He mused. No amount of Hocus-Pocus could remove that powder from her body." "Boss, Can I talk to you in private?" the doctor asked. "Sure." Giovanni replied.
Once they were out of the room, Giovanni saw the worried look on the Doctor's face. "What's wrong?" "Well," the doctor began, "Boss Giovanni, I think you may have a very unique girl working for you." "What...Oh, don't tell me my best lab man is taking up for a female in the lowest ranks of Team Rocket! This can not be happening to me!" Giovanni bellowed, hitting his head against the wall, frustrated.
"I have no choice but to, sir. All evidence points to it."
"What evidence?!" Giovanni asked, turning to face the doctor.
"Well, as you know, that is indeed sleeping powder in that vial."
"Yeah, we've already discussed that, doctor."
"Well, we found a tiny bit of blood in the vial as well; Tiny, but not small enough that we couldn't analyze it. So, we analyzed it, and compared it to her blood tests and...um... the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in the vial was exactly the same as in Ms. Esther's blood tests..."
"What?! You mean to tell me that that was the exact powder that was in her body not five minutes before?"
"Exactly, sir. Plus, the blood tests showed no powder whatsoever in her bloodstream."
"So, you're saying she has unusual abilities?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm...intriguing." Giovanni said, shutting his eyes and thinking. "I'll think I'll have a little chat with Ms. Bryars, and see if she will cough up any information we could use." "I don't know, sir. She probably won't tell us." The doctor said, shaking his head. "Well, doctor, we won't know 'till we try, will we?" Giovanni smiled deviously.
Suddenly, they heard singing again. "Maybe she's using her power again!" The doctor said excitedly. As they snuck into the room, however, they saw no blue light; just Esther, singing quietly. "Oh well. I least we're in time for the concert." Giovanni whispered. Esther's voice was very pretty, as she sang "May It Be" (see chapter 1) in Hyrulean. Giovanni didn't know how, but he was actually able to understand the words. As she quietly sang the chorus, Giovanni translated Mornie utúlië and Mornie Alantië to their English meanings. "Mornie Utúlië, Elven for 'Darkness has come.' Mornie Alantië, 'darkness has fallen.'" The doctor looked at him, confused. "You're able to translate what she's singing?" "Yes. It's the 18th track on the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, 'May It Be.' I have the CD, so I know how it goes." "Cool!" The doctor said, a little too loudly. Esther stopped singing and looked around the room, frightened. "Who-who's there?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Calm down, Bryars. It's just me and the doctor." Giovanni said, coming out of hiding. "How long have you two been in here?" Esther asked, dreading what the answer was. "A couple minutes after you started singing." The doctor said. Esther frowned. "Great. I only sing when no ones around for a reason." "And what's that?" Giovanni asked, looking at her questionably. "I-I don't sing very well..." She stuttered, blushing slightly. "You're joking, right?" Giovanni said, smiling. "No, I'm not joking." She replied back. Giovanni and the doctor both rolled their eyes. "Don't be so modest, Esther! Of course you can sing well!" Giovanni said, looking her strangely. "No, I don't..." Esther replied quietly. "Whatever, Esther." Giovanni rolled his eyes again. There was an awkward silence for a while, and then Esther broke it. "Um...when can I get out of here? I would like to get back to training soon." "You can go as soon as you're feeling up to it." The doctor replied. "I'm feeling up to it already." She said.
"You sure, Bryars?" Giovanni asked, looking into her violet eyes. "Yes, sir. I'm sure." She replied back, trying her best to unglue her eyes from his, only to find she couldn't. "Ok, but you should probably rest for a while before resuming work." The doctor said, smiling as he observed Esther and Giovanni looking into each other's eyes. "How long, exactly?" Esther asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Giovanni's. "Well, you were unconscious for at least ten hours, so...about, oh, 3-4 hours minimum. If you really want to feel up to par, though, you should recuperate your strength for the rest of the day. If the Boss allows it, though, is the question." The doctor replied, glancing over at Giovanni, who nodded. "I think I can allow that. No since in you fainting again out of sheer exhaustion during training. Robin wouldn't be happy about that." "Ok. Thank you, doctor, for helping me out." Esther said, smiling. "No problem. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?" The doctor said. "Right." Giovanni replied, nodding. "Ms. Esther, if you want me to, I'll take you to your room so you can get some rest." He offered. "Thanks, but I think I can get there myself, sir." She said, slipping off the stretcher. As she did, he caught her in his arms as she faltered. She blushed a light rose color, as Giovanni helped her steady herself. "Thanks for catching me, Boss." She said, smiling brightly. "Hey, no problem, Ms. Bryars." Giovanni said, smiling back. "Maybe I should take you up on that offer anyway." She said. "I think we can do that." He said, lifting her into his arms. "I didn't mean like this, sir! Please put me down." Esther exclaimed, surprised at him. "Well, what DID you mean?" He asked, smiling. "I mean just helping me WALK to my room, Boss." She said, frowning. "Well, the other works better, but okay." Giovanni said, shrugging. As the two of them left the room together, Giovanni's arm draped around her waist as she put her arm around his neck to help steady herself. The doctor shook his head. "He's falling for her, HARD."
After several trips & falls, Giovanni and Esther finally made it back to her and Robin's room. Robin smiled as they walked in together. "Here comes the lovey-dovey couple." She said quietly, but loud enough for them both to hear. Both shoot her a glance that meant, "Stay out of it." Robin smiled, and then returned to reading her romance novel, as Giovanni helped Esther onto her bed. "Thank you very much, sir." Esther said quietly. "You're welcome, Esther." He said softly.
From out of nowhere, both Persians ran to their owners. Persia looked at her master worriedly, then was relieved when Esther, scratching her behind the ear, said quietly, "I'm ok, Persia. Thanks for worrying about me." Persia purred, licking Esther's hand devotedly. Giovanni's Persian purred softly as he rubbed his body against his trainer's leg. Giovanni smiled as he knelt down and stroked Persian's chin warmly. Persian purred happily as he received the rare treatment. He then watched as Persia hopped up on Esther's bed and laid down next to her, purring as Esther rubbed her back gently. He smiled. "That Persian likes you a lot, doesn't she?" Giovanni asked quietly. "Yes. I met her when I was little. She was a Meowth at the time and had been abandoned. I found her and took care of her, and taught her how to battle well. She learned quickly and I earned her respect before that. After she was healed up, I tried to release her back into the wild, but she was determined something fierce to pay me back for taking good care of her when she was injured." Esther said, thinking back to that day. "She refused to leave, she had forged a friendship with me, and she let me capture her in a Pokéball. Since then, we've been inseparable."
"When did she become a Persian?" Giovanni asked, looking at the female Persian. "Um...four years ago, in June." Esther said, remembering the wonderful event. "That's when I decided to call her Persia." Esther said, pointing to Persia's collar, which held a ruby in it. Incrusted in the ruby was a "P" made with diamonds. On the sides of the collar, the name "Persia" shined with its diamonds also. Giovanni smiled as he examined the collar. "Real diamonds and ruby?" He asked, as the ruby shimmered when light hit it. "Yes. I bought that for her shortly after she became a Persian." "Interesting. It's very pretty on her." Persia looked at him and meowed thanks. Giovanni smiled. "You're welcome." He said, petting Persia. Persia purred as his hand moved across her back gently. "You like that, Persia?" Esther asked her quietly. Persia nodded her head. Persian looked at how his master petted Persia and meowed impatiently, waiting for its turn. "Okay, Persian. I'll pet you too." Giovanni replied, stroking its fur caringly. Persian purred happily again as it got the attention it wanted.
After a while, Giovanni got up. "I probably should go. I've got work that needs to be done, though, really, I'd rather be here with you. But," he shrugged. "That's what I get for being the head of Team Rocket." He sighed unhappily. "Then, I'll see you later, sir, I guess." Esther said, her shoulders falling. "Yeah, I hope so. Bye, Esther." He waved. "Bye, sir." She said, waving back to him as he and Persian left the room.
Soon after Giovanni left, Robin burst out into giggles. "Now what, Robin?" Esther asked. "Why won't you just admit you like him?" Robin asked, smiling. "I-I was really dizzy, so he helped me to the room." Esther stuttered, not believing the subject had come up yet again. "I don't think the Boss liked your earlier comment, though. I can just see it now." Esther said, whistling the funeral march. "Yeah, right. Be lucky you have the day off, basically. But tomorrow, I working you two-times as hard to make up for today's little charade." Robin said, a smirk crossing her face. "Whatever, Rob." Esther replied, reaching for her 'The Team Rocket Member Manual' book, which was on the nightstand. She opened the manuscript, took out the bookmark, and started reading page 155 (it has about 300 pages.). Robin frowned. "It's Robin, not Rob!"
The night passed on quickly. Robin kept her promise and worked Esther to the bone the next day. To Robin's surprise and frustration, Esther didn't seem like her energy was going to run out anytime soon. Giovanni, when he had nothing else to do, would watch Esther train, impressed by her spunkiness. Esther would approach the problem she faced wisely, thinking about the best thing to do, and executing that idea, which almost (about 98% of the time) always worked quite well. Although, she sometimes would have to consult the TR manual, she seemed to not need it most of the time. Robin would continually go to the next level in the subject, hoping to tire Esther out a bit. But the satisfaction she wanted from it never came. Esther had been well rested the night before, so it seemed that she would never grow weary, even with no breaks in the training.
But when it was about an hour 'till curfew, Giovanni (who was still there) ordered Robin to stop the training for the day, much to the dismay of Esther. "I can take more then that, sir." She said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm sure you can, Ms. Bryars, but you two need to get some sleep. It's almost 11 o'clock." He said, pointing to a clock that hung from the wall. "Oh, okay. If you say so." Esther said, and then looked back at Giovanni. "Sir, would it be okay if I ran two or three laps around here? It'll only take a couple of minutes. Please, Boss." She asked sweetly, her eyes shining as she put her hair back in a ponytail. "Well, okay. Two laps. Robin, make sure she doesn't collapse." Giovanni said, nodding. "Yes, sir." Robin said dryly. "She can't run two laps without collapsing, I bet." Robin thought, her eyes burning angrily. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;/matthew they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31." Esther whispered, quoting one of her favorite Bible verses. She stood in a sprinting position and sped off after a few seconds. She completed one lap in 1 minute flat, the second lap she finished in 1 minute, 13 seconds. After finishing both of the laps, she stood erect, slowly breathing in and exhaling out. Giovanni was obviously impressed, smiling as the beautiful young brunette stood before him. "So, Boss, how'd I do?" Esther asked as she put her hair back into a ponytail, hoping he liked her performance. The suspense built, as he stood silent. Esther wished the suspense would build some more, but unfortunately Robin broke it. "If you ask me, you're just trying to show off for the Boss." Robin quipped, smirking. "I am not, Robin, and you know it! You're just trying to get me in trouble, once again. I can't help you don't like me; I try to be the best that I can be, but that's not even good enough for you! Being a Rocket-grunt in training is hard enough, but you make it even worse!" Esther exclaimed, tears rolling down her face. She ran out of the room, sobbing.
Robin frowned. "She'll learn. When, and if, she gets to be on a mission, she'll be glad I'm training her so hard now. But she was just bringing it upon herself, asking me to go up a level in the training before she was ready." "What, are you saying she doesn't have potential?! If you are, you're kidding yourself. She's very sweet, kind, gentle, and brave, but I bet on the battlefield, that equals many victories if used in the right way. She has a fiery spirit, and that, Robin, is what makes her so useful to Team Rocket. We could break that will, and miss the opportunity of a lifetime, or, we could train her to use it for Team Rocket's bidding." Giovanni said angrily at Robin. "Well, I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I can't train that brat anymore." Robin said, crossing her arms. "So it shall be. I shall train her myself, but I'm also cutting your paycheck in half. Is that what you want, Robin?" Giovanni countered. "Okay, okay! I'll train her! I'll train her!!"
*Note: Purify is a Heroine of Time power. It is learned at Lv. 15. Esther is Lv. 19.
Of Emotional breakdowns & near-salary cuts
Note: Okay, from here on out, this is how it works.
"quotation": Dialogue /or thought, depending on the context.
"AND NOW YOUR MORNING FORCAS..." The radio blared as Robin hit the off button on it. Stretching, she yawned. "Okay, Bryars. Time to get up." There was no reply. "I'm not kidding, Bryars. Get up." No movement. "Ok. I'll just have to call the boss then, and tell him how you feel about him." No response. Robin was losing her patience. "GET UP, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Robin yelled. Not even a flinch. Suddenly, something caught Robin's eye: the roses on Esther's chest.
Robin picked up the card and read it. She frowned. "Why does she get a secret admirer, and not me? And why won't she get up?" She checked her breathing and pulse. Both were present. Robin raced to the phone to call Giovanni. "Hello, who is this?" Giovanni asked impatiently.
"Sir, it's me, Robin."
"Well, what is it?"
"It's Esther, sir."
Giovanni's voice changed to one of concern. "What about Ms. Bryars?"
"She won't wake up! I think she's unconscious!"
"What?!"
"I tried everything. The only clue to it all is some roses that are on her chest."
"Keep her warm and I'll be right there!" Giovanni said, then he hung up. "Oh, Essie. I'm so sorry about all of this!" He thought, racing to Robin and Esther's room.
Two minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Robin opened it, revealing Giovanni, who was gasping for air. "Are you okay, sir?" Robin asked worriedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where is she?" "Over on her bed, sir." Giovanni went over to Esther's side and checked her breathing and pulse. Both were still present. Giovanni carefully picked Esther up in his arms. "We need to get her to the lab for tests!" He said, holding her tenderly but securely. Together, Giovanni and Robin headed for the labs as quickly as was humanly possible.
*****
"Will she be ok?" Esther heard Giovanni ask in a troubled voice as she regained consciousness. "She should be." The doctor replied.
"What caused her to black out?"
"We don't know. The tests haven't come back yet." The doctor put his hand on Giovanni's shoulder. "We shall understand what did it soon enough, sir."
"I sure hope so, for her sake." Giovanni said, sighing sadly, as he looked over at Esther. He moved over to her bed, looking for any trace that she might have come to while they were talking. She was coming around, slowly, but surely.
Just then, a lab boy with emerald eyes came in, holding papers in his hands. "Well, did we find out what caused it?" The doctor asked impatiently. "Yes, sir." The youth answered, handing the papers to the doctor. "She was subjected to a lot of sleep powder." Giovanni's jaw dropped. "Oh no, I did this to her! This is my entire fault!" He thought as he silently cursed himself for being so stupid. He ran his fingers through Esther's hair, fondling it affectionately. The stroking unconfined a weak smell of coconut, from the shampoo, into the room. "I'm sorry I did this to you, Esther." He whispered, kissing her hand and caressing her face gently. "If I'd only known that that much sleep powder was going to be released, I wouldn't have done it. I'm so sorry... forgive me." Robin smiled as she saw him kissing Esther's hand. "He really is concerned for her. I guess I was right about him liking her." She said to herself.
Suddenly Giovanni heard Esther moan. He looked at her face. Her eyelids were slowly opening. "Guys, she's waking up!" He called to the others quietly, so as to not frighten Esther. "What?! She is?! Good. Now I want to see how she's doing." The doctor said loudly, hurrying over to Esther. "Owww...my head hurts..." Esther said, shutting her eyes in pain as the noise continued. "Where am I? Boss, what are you doing here?" "You're in Team Rocket's labs. As for me, Robin called when she found out you were unconscious, and I rushed down to your room. We brought you here shortly afterward." Giovanni said softly. "How long was I out?" Esther asked shyly, as she noticed Giovanni still running his hand through her hair. "Probably ten hours, my guess." The doctor said. Esther looked over at him. "What time is it?" She asked. "About 11:30 a.m." Giovanni said, glancing at his watch. "More or less."
Giovanni noticed that Esther looked like she was in pain, and put one of his arms around her. "You okay, Esther?" He asked fearfully. "My head hurts, and I'm cold, but that's all." Esther replied, shivering.
"You need anything?"
"Two 200mg Advil, something to take it with, and a blanket would be nice. But I can live without them."
"I'll get them for you, Esther."
"Really, I can..." Esther started to protest, but Giovanni was already out of the room.
Giovanni ran to his office as quickly as he could. He knew he had a bountiful supply of Ibuprofen (when you have half-wits like Jesse & James working for you in the future, you need a BIG supply of headache medicine.) in his desk. He grabbed the two Advil, a nice, warm blanket out of the supplies room, and a cup to put water in. About halfway down the hall from the labs, he filled the cup up with water from the drinking fountains (fresh from Mt. Moon, mind you.), and went on to the labs.
While Giovanni was out getting the various items, Robin snickered. "What? What's so funny, Robin?" Esther asked, confused. "Isn't it obvious the Boss likes you? The way he ran his fingers through your hair, the way he carried you to the labs, the way he put his arm around you, the way he asked if there was anything you needed, how he dashed out of the room to get the stuff...I can just see it now." Robin said, humming the wedding march. "Watch it, Robin...you're biting off more than you can chew, as far as I'm concerned. The Boss was just worried, that's all. Soon, he'll be back to his normal self, I can assure you." Esther growled, then she winced as pain shot through her head. "Oww..." She whimpered, as a tear ran down her cheek from the pain.
No more than six minutes later (two going, four coming back), Giovanni entered the labs and frowned when he saw Esther crying from the pain. He walked over to where she was, and sat down next to her bed and put his hand on her shoulder. Esther looked up to see him as he handed her the water and Advil. He spread the blanket over her, making sure her whole body was covered. She smiled as he did so. "Thank you, but you really shouldn't have. I could have done it myself." She said softly. "It's ok. I didn't mind at all." Giovanni said. "You feel better now?" "Yes, thank you for your concern." Esther flashed him her prettiest smile that her aching head would allow her to. "You're welcome, Esther." He blushed a pale shade of red. "Um...I'm sure you have better things to do than stay here with me." As Esther said this, Robin frowned. "No! Don't do that, Bryars. You'll lose him!" She whispered. Unfortunately, she said it loud enough for Giovanni to hear. "What about 'losing him', Robin?" Giovanni said, shooting a glance at her. "She thinks you like me and I like you in more than a 'employer-employee' way." Esther said, growling at Robin angrily.
"Well, she does, sir." Robin said, trying her best to get Esther in trouble.
"I do not!" Esther retaliated.
"Do too!" Robin said, then stuck out her tongue and taunted Esther, animé-style. Esther knew that somebody had to break the chain, or Giovanni was going to confront her with the subject directly, her weak-point. "Ok, so maybe I do, maybe I don't. It's none of your business either way." She said heatedly at Robin, and then cooled down. "Will you please drop the subject, Robin?! I would like to ask Ms. Esther about the events leading up to her fainting, if you don't mind!" Giovanni said angrily, then he forced himself to calm down.
"When did you faint?" He asked Esther. "I think...around...eleven-fifteen or somewhere around there." Esther answered. Giovanni flinched. You got it right on target, Essie. But he wasn't about to say it aloud. "That means someone got into your room last night." He said coolly. "Someone was in the room besides us?!" Robin exclaimed fearfully. "Yes, that's right! I remember that!" Esther said excitedly. "You mean you saw that someone in the room?!" Robin asked. "Yes. It was after a very, uh... nice dream and I reluctantly woke up after it and a man was standing over me. I tried to scream, but he, um..." here she blushed a bright red. "Pressed his lips against mine to make me be quiet. It worked pretty well too. Anyway, I asked him who he was, and he said to call him John for the time being." "John...got it." Giovanni said, who, from somewhere, had gotten a pad of paper and pencil. "Go on." "Well," Esther continued. "I asked if we had met before, and he said that he had seen me and had to meet me." "At 11:00 at night?" Giovanni asked. "'It was convenient,' he said." Esther explained, not noticing this was almost the exact conversation she and 'John' had had the night before.
"For you, it wasn't."
"I know. But he said he was sorry. He wanted to surprise me, or that's what he said."
"He probably came close to frightening you to death, especially with that kiss."
"Yeah, then he said, 'Um...Esther. I'm sorry, but I have no choice but to do this.' Then he told his Vileplume to use sleep powder on me. I tried to fight it off, but there was just too much of it. Plus, I was very tired." Esther said, hanging her head.
"Hey, you tried, and that's all that matters." Giovanni said, warmly embracing Esther, who looked fearfully at Robin and gave her a look that said, "Ok, Ok. You were right." Robin smiled triumphantly, but wasn't about to help Esther. To Esther, she mouthed the words, "You got yourself into it, now you'll have to get out of it."
Esther grimaced as Giovanni continued to nuzzle closer to her. "I'm so glad you're okay, Esther." He said, kissing her cheek for about the 20th time. Esther decided there was nothing else she could do but go along with the embrace. She put her head on his shoulder, waiting for him to loosen his grip. She sat there in his arms, feeling unusually safe. "Wow," she thought. "He makes me feel so...warm &...fuzzy." She returned the hug, putting her arms around his neck. Robin couldn't stop from giggling, watching them cuddle. After several minutes, Esther decided that it was high time for him to let go. "Um...thanks for caring about me." Esther said warmly. "Now...could you kindly let me go? It's getting hard for me to breathe, you're squeezing me so hard." "Oh, sorry. I guess I'm just really glad you're Ok." Giovanni grinned sheepishly, as he released her. Then he noticed Robin was watching them. "Um...Robin, don't you have work you need to do?" "Huh? What wor..." Robin started to ask, then caught Giovanni's glance. "Oh! That work! I forgot completely about it." Robin realized, running from the room in a random direction.
"What work? Esther asked Giovanni, confused. "Anything to get her out of here, that's what." Giovanni said, putting his arm around her. "Oh no. Not again. Not another hug. It felt ok, but I'm not ready for this." Esther thought fearfully. To her surprise, Giovanni merely pulled her close to him. "Now, how 'bout answering one or two questions, Bryars?" He whispered in her ear gently, so as not to arouse her headache, which had been gone for a while. "Sure, sir. What would you like to know?" She asked, looking into his deep brown eyes. "Are you single?" Giovanni asked sheepishly. Esther looked at him, shocked. Giovanni snickered when he saw the look on her face. "Just kidding!" He said, still laughing. "You should have seen the look on your face! Pure shock!" He said, shaking his head. "You mean you're not serious about the question?" She inquired. "No, I just wanted to see your reaction to it!" He smiled happily. "Oh, before I forget, these were on you chest this morning. I think your 'boyfriend' left them." He said, handing her the roses from the night before. They were slightly wilted, but still pretty.
"Huh? I don't remember anything about roses." She said, obviously confused. "Oh well." She smelled the roses, and sighed. "Never mind where they came from! They smell great!" Giovanni smelled them and smiled. "Yes, they smell quite good." He said, then he thought to himself, Thank you for the complement, Es. "Whoever grows these is quite the gardener!" Esther said, smiling. "Here's the card that came with it. It seems you have a secret admirer." Giovanni said, trying to keep a straight face. Esther took the card and read it aloud. " 'My dearest Essie, These roses are for you, Hadassah Esther Bryars. For you are the most beautiful girl I have ever met. Please, meet me at that café on Elm and 33rd street on Saturday at seven o'clock. You will know who I am when you see me. If you cannot come, call my voicemail at 639-7351. I long to be with you, my dove. Yours truly, your secret admirer." She gasped as she read it. "Oh, don't tell me I'm being stalked! I thought no one knew my real name or my nickname. After my friend Giovanni, who called me Essie, moved away from Pallet Town, I never went by my first name again, I was so crushed. And I never let anyone call me Essie again after that!" She blurted out, sobbing out of fear. "Hey, hey, calm down, Esther." Giovanni drew her closer. "If you don't stop crying and chill out, I'll hug you again."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Would I?" Giovanni said, wrapping his arms around her. "Ok, Ok! I'll quit crying, just stop holding me in your arms!" Esther cried, as more tears rolled down her face. Just then, the doctor walked in to check on Esther, and wasn't surprised to see her crying. "Don't worry, sir. It's just side effects of the sleep powder." He said softly. "Irritability is a side effect of this stuff?" Giovanni asked, confused. "I'm not irritable." Esther said defensively. "Yes, you are, Ms. Bryars." The doctor said, smiling. "Don't worry, Boss. She'll be back to her normal, sweet, non-irritable self." He said, emphasizing non-irritable. Giovanni frowned. "When exactly will she be back to her normal self?"
"About two or three days."
"Isn't there anything we can give her to hurry it up?"
"Sorry, sir. The most reliable method for this is to let the body get rid of the remainder of the sleep powder by itself."
"So it's almost like withdrawal symptoms, doctor?"
"Exactly."
"So," Esther said, "When my body doesn't have any more sleep powder in it, I won't act so weird?"
"I thought we just said that." Giovanni said, frowning.
"Sorry, just verifying." Esther said, lowering her eyes so that they did not meet Giovanni's. The Triforce mark on her left hand glowed through her black gloves. Giovanni looked at the mark, wondering what it was.
Suddenly, blue light surrounded Esther. She took off the glove, revealing the mark underneath. "Purify*" a voice said. Giovanni looked at her, bewildered. What in the world...he thought. He heard singing in the background, and then he realized it was Esther. She was singing a song that he didn't think he had heard before, but it sounded familiar, like he had heard it long ago. As she sang, Esther felt energy fill and cleanse her body of the powder. As the blue light decreased, so did her song. When it had diminished completely, her singing had also. In her right hand was a vial containing blue powder. "Your powder, doctor." She said, handing the test tube to the doctor, her violet eyes sparkling. "Is it not the same powder that ailed me?" "Well..." the doctor began, still shaken by what he had just seen. "We have to run some tests on it, and you. But I think so." "Why must you run more tests on me?" Esther asked, testing Giovanni's authority. "Because we have to see how much powder is in your body, that's why!" Giovanni said, not happy about his power being challenged so. "Don't you see, Boss? This IS the powder that pained my body! It was in my body, now it is not." Esther said, frowning. "It can't be. There's just no way." Giovanni argued. "Fine, believe what you want, sir." Esther said, a hint of hurt in her voice. "Do all the tests you please, but that's the powder."
After about several tests on the powder, it was confirmed that it was indeed sleeping powder. "Doesn't mean a thing." Giovanni said, crossing his arms. As Esther had a blood test done, Giovanni thought to himself. "What if she told the truth and that is the powder...No it can't be. He mused. No amount of Hocus-Pocus could remove that powder from her body." "Boss, Can I talk to you in private?" the doctor asked. "Sure." Giovanni replied.
Once they were out of the room, Giovanni saw the worried look on the Doctor's face. "What's wrong?" "Well," the doctor began, "Boss Giovanni, I think you may have a very unique girl working for you." "What...Oh, don't tell me my best lab man is taking up for a female in the lowest ranks of Team Rocket! This can not be happening to me!" Giovanni bellowed, hitting his head against the wall, frustrated.
"I have no choice but to, sir. All evidence points to it."
"What evidence?!" Giovanni asked, turning to face the doctor.
"Well, as you know, that is indeed sleeping powder in that vial."
"Yeah, we've already discussed that, doctor."
"Well, we found a tiny bit of blood in the vial as well; Tiny, but not small enough that we couldn't analyze it. So, we analyzed it, and compared it to her blood tests and...um... the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) in the vial was exactly the same as in Ms. Esther's blood tests..."
"What?! You mean to tell me that that was the exact powder that was in her body not five minutes before?"
"Exactly, sir. Plus, the blood tests showed no powder whatsoever in her bloodstream."
"So, you're saying she has unusual abilities?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm...intriguing." Giovanni said, shutting his eyes and thinking. "I'll think I'll have a little chat with Ms. Bryars, and see if she will cough up any information we could use." "I don't know, sir. She probably won't tell us." The doctor said, shaking his head. "Well, doctor, we won't know 'till we try, will we?" Giovanni smiled deviously.
Suddenly, they heard singing again. "Maybe she's using her power again!" The doctor said excitedly. As they snuck into the room, however, they saw no blue light; just Esther, singing quietly. "Oh well. I least we're in time for the concert." Giovanni whispered. Esther's voice was very pretty, as she sang "May It Be" (see chapter 1) in Hyrulean. Giovanni didn't know how, but he was actually able to understand the words. As she quietly sang the chorus, Giovanni translated Mornie utúlië and Mornie Alantië to their English meanings. "Mornie Utúlië, Elven for 'Darkness has come.' Mornie Alantië, 'darkness has fallen.'" The doctor looked at him, confused. "You're able to translate what she's singing?" "Yes. It's the 18th track on the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack, 'May It Be.' I have the CD, so I know how it goes." "Cool!" The doctor said, a little too loudly. Esther stopped singing and looked around the room, frightened. "Who-who's there?" She asked, her voice shaking. "Calm down, Bryars. It's just me and the doctor." Giovanni said, coming out of hiding. "How long have you two been in here?" Esther asked, dreading what the answer was. "A couple minutes after you started singing." The doctor said. Esther frowned. "Great. I only sing when no ones around for a reason." "And what's that?" Giovanni asked, looking at her questionably. "I-I don't sing very well..." She stuttered, blushing slightly. "You're joking, right?" Giovanni said, smiling. "No, I'm not joking." She replied back. Giovanni and the doctor both rolled their eyes. "Don't be so modest, Esther! Of course you can sing well!" Giovanni said, looking her strangely. "No, I don't..." Esther replied quietly. "Whatever, Esther." Giovanni rolled his eyes again. There was an awkward silence for a while, and then Esther broke it. "Um...when can I get out of here? I would like to get back to training soon." "You can go as soon as you're feeling up to it." The doctor replied. "I'm feeling up to it already." She said.
"You sure, Bryars?" Giovanni asked, looking into her violet eyes. "Yes, sir. I'm sure." She replied back, trying her best to unglue her eyes from his, only to find she couldn't. "Ok, but you should probably rest for a while before resuming work." The doctor said, smiling as he observed Esther and Giovanni looking into each other's eyes. "How long, exactly?" Esther asked, finally tearing her eyes away from Giovanni's. "Well, you were unconscious for at least ten hours, so...about, oh, 3-4 hours minimum. If you really want to feel up to par, though, you should recuperate your strength for the rest of the day. If the Boss allows it, though, is the question." The doctor replied, glancing over at Giovanni, who nodded. "I think I can allow that. No since in you fainting again out of sheer exhaustion during training. Robin wouldn't be happy about that." "Ok. Thank you, doctor, for helping me out." Esther said, smiling. "No problem. That's what I'm here for, isn't it?" The doctor said. "Right." Giovanni replied, nodding. "Ms. Esther, if you want me to, I'll take you to your room so you can get some rest." He offered. "Thanks, but I think I can get there myself, sir." She said, slipping off the stretcher. As she did, he caught her in his arms as she faltered. She blushed a light rose color, as Giovanni helped her steady herself. "Thanks for catching me, Boss." She said, smiling brightly. "Hey, no problem, Ms. Bryars." Giovanni said, smiling back. "Maybe I should take you up on that offer anyway." She said. "I think we can do that." He said, lifting her into his arms. "I didn't mean like this, sir! Please put me down." Esther exclaimed, surprised at him. "Well, what DID you mean?" He asked, smiling. "I mean just helping me WALK to my room, Boss." She said, frowning. "Well, the other works better, but okay." Giovanni said, shrugging. As the two of them left the room together, Giovanni's arm draped around her waist as she put her arm around his neck to help steady herself. The doctor shook his head. "He's falling for her, HARD."
After several trips & falls, Giovanni and Esther finally made it back to her and Robin's room. Robin smiled as they walked in together. "Here comes the lovey-dovey couple." She said quietly, but loud enough for them both to hear. Both shoot her a glance that meant, "Stay out of it." Robin smiled, and then returned to reading her romance novel, as Giovanni helped Esther onto her bed. "Thank you very much, sir." Esther said quietly. "You're welcome, Esther." He said softly.
From out of nowhere, both Persians ran to their owners. Persia looked at her master worriedly, then was relieved when Esther, scratching her behind the ear, said quietly, "I'm ok, Persia. Thanks for worrying about me." Persia purred, licking Esther's hand devotedly. Giovanni's Persian purred softly as he rubbed his body against his trainer's leg. Giovanni smiled as he knelt down and stroked Persian's chin warmly. Persian purred happily as he received the rare treatment. He then watched as Persia hopped up on Esther's bed and laid down next to her, purring as Esther rubbed her back gently. He smiled. "That Persian likes you a lot, doesn't she?" Giovanni asked quietly. "Yes. I met her when I was little. She was a Meowth at the time and had been abandoned. I found her and took care of her, and taught her how to battle well. She learned quickly and I earned her respect before that. After she was healed up, I tried to release her back into the wild, but she was determined something fierce to pay me back for taking good care of her when she was injured." Esther said, thinking back to that day. "She refused to leave, she had forged a friendship with me, and she let me capture her in a Pokéball. Since then, we've been inseparable."
"When did she become a Persian?" Giovanni asked, looking at the female Persian. "Um...four years ago, in June." Esther said, remembering the wonderful event. "That's when I decided to call her Persia." Esther said, pointing to Persia's collar, which held a ruby in it. Incrusted in the ruby was a "P" made with diamonds. On the sides of the collar, the name "Persia" shined with its diamonds also. Giovanni smiled as he examined the collar. "Real diamonds and ruby?" He asked, as the ruby shimmered when light hit it. "Yes. I bought that for her shortly after she became a Persian." "Interesting. It's very pretty on her." Persia looked at him and meowed thanks. Giovanni smiled. "You're welcome." He said, petting Persia. Persia purred as his hand moved across her back gently. "You like that, Persia?" Esther asked her quietly. Persia nodded her head. Persian looked at how his master petted Persia and meowed impatiently, waiting for its turn. "Okay, Persian. I'll pet you too." Giovanni replied, stroking its fur caringly. Persian purred happily again as it got the attention it wanted.
After a while, Giovanni got up. "I probably should go. I've got work that needs to be done, though, really, I'd rather be here with you. But," he shrugged. "That's what I get for being the head of Team Rocket." He sighed unhappily. "Then, I'll see you later, sir, I guess." Esther said, her shoulders falling. "Yeah, I hope so. Bye, Esther." He waved. "Bye, sir." She said, waving back to him as he and Persian left the room.
Soon after Giovanni left, Robin burst out into giggles. "Now what, Robin?" Esther asked. "Why won't you just admit you like him?" Robin asked, smiling. "I-I was really dizzy, so he helped me to the room." Esther stuttered, not believing the subject had come up yet again. "I don't think the Boss liked your earlier comment, though. I can just see it now." Esther said, whistling the funeral march. "Yeah, right. Be lucky you have the day off, basically. But tomorrow, I working you two-times as hard to make up for today's little charade." Robin said, a smirk crossing her face. "Whatever, Rob." Esther replied, reaching for her 'The Team Rocket Member Manual' book, which was on the nightstand. She opened the manuscript, took out the bookmark, and started reading page 155 (it has about 300 pages.). Robin frowned. "It's Robin, not Rob!"
The night passed on quickly. Robin kept her promise and worked Esther to the bone the next day. To Robin's surprise and frustration, Esther didn't seem like her energy was going to run out anytime soon. Giovanni, when he had nothing else to do, would watch Esther train, impressed by her spunkiness. Esther would approach the problem she faced wisely, thinking about the best thing to do, and executing that idea, which almost (about 98% of the time) always worked quite well. Although, she sometimes would have to consult the TR manual, she seemed to not need it most of the time. Robin would continually go to the next level in the subject, hoping to tire Esther out a bit. But the satisfaction she wanted from it never came. Esther had been well rested the night before, so it seemed that she would never grow weary, even with no breaks in the training.
But when it was about an hour 'till curfew, Giovanni (who was still there) ordered Robin to stop the training for the day, much to the dismay of Esther. "I can take more then that, sir." She said, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm sure you can, Ms. Bryars, but you two need to get some sleep. It's almost 11 o'clock." He said, pointing to a clock that hung from the wall. "Oh, okay. If you say so." Esther said, and then looked back at Giovanni. "Sir, would it be okay if I ran two or three laps around here? It'll only take a couple of minutes. Please, Boss." She asked sweetly, her eyes shining as she put her hair back in a ponytail. "Well, okay. Two laps. Robin, make sure she doesn't collapse." Giovanni said, nodding. "Yes, sir." Robin said dryly. "She can't run two laps without collapsing, I bet." Robin thought, her eyes burning angrily. "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;/matthew they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31." Esther whispered, quoting one of her favorite Bible verses. She stood in a sprinting position and sped off after a few seconds. She completed one lap in 1 minute flat, the second lap she finished in 1 minute, 13 seconds. After finishing both of the laps, she stood erect, slowly breathing in and exhaling out. Giovanni was obviously impressed, smiling as the beautiful young brunette stood before him. "So, Boss, how'd I do?" Esther asked as she put her hair back into a ponytail, hoping he liked her performance. The suspense built, as he stood silent. Esther wished the suspense would build some more, but unfortunately Robin broke it. "If you ask me, you're just trying to show off for the Boss." Robin quipped, smirking. "I am not, Robin, and you know it! You're just trying to get me in trouble, once again. I can't help you don't like me; I try to be the best that I can be, but that's not even good enough for you! Being a Rocket-grunt in training is hard enough, but you make it even worse!" Esther exclaimed, tears rolling down her face. She ran out of the room, sobbing.
Robin frowned. "She'll learn. When, and if, she gets to be on a mission, she'll be glad I'm training her so hard now. But she was just bringing it upon herself, asking me to go up a level in the training before she was ready." "What, are you saying she doesn't have potential?! If you are, you're kidding yourself. She's very sweet, kind, gentle, and brave, but I bet on the battlefield, that equals many victories if used in the right way. She has a fiery spirit, and that, Robin, is what makes her so useful to Team Rocket. We could break that will, and miss the opportunity of a lifetime, or, we could train her to use it for Team Rocket's bidding." Giovanni said angrily at Robin. "Well, I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I can't train that brat anymore." Robin said, crossing her arms. "So it shall be. I shall train her myself, but I'm also cutting your paycheck in half. Is that what you want, Robin?" Giovanni countered. "Okay, okay! I'll train her! I'll train her!!"
*Note: Purify is a Heroine of Time power. It is learned at Lv. 15. Esther is Lv. 19.