Holy Miltank! It's frikkin' August now! I'd like to thank the kind reviews I've gotten since the last update…you guys are the reason why I decided to tackle this fic again and I will finish it. I've been reading and watching Pokemon to get back into the swing of things so here we go!
The Prince of Roses
Part Seven: Inquisition
By Silver Vaporeon
The world within the majestic mansion held its breath as the words left Jessie's mouth. Meowth looked nervously between the two women. Yes, it was in Jessie's character to demand things of other people but to see the dead seriousness within her blue eyes was a whole different experience. James' mother, Virginia, didn't even bat an eyelash. As a woman of nobility, she had no choice but to remain civil and cool towards Jessie. However, the code of nobility did not obligate her to be kind. She gave a small 'hmph' and resumed fanning herself, peaking over the elegant whispy articuno feathers that trimmed the fan.
"And why should I tell a spy of such information?" she said, maintaining her icy composure.
"I am not a spy, lady. James' life depends on it so you'd better start giving answers now," Jessie replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice and a set frown on her lips.
"And do you have any evidence to prove so?"
To the last question, Jessie held out her hand to show the rose-shaped patch on her palm. The blood had hardened and attached itself firmly to the wound, keeping the bright redness from its liquid state.
Jessie's gaze hardened as her patience grew thin and her breaths came out ragged as she forced herself to keep the discussion limited to an exchange of words. Her body was chilled but her temper was hot and it showed through her eyes.
"I have a connection with him, lady; the thorn from that rose that made this wound is in my hand and we can talk to each other," Jessie breathed with a slight shutter. The cold air conditioning of the estate was cutting through to the bone as she stood dripping wet in a growing puddle of water that was soaking into the carpet.
"Such a cockamainy tale if I have ever heard one. You should be glad I won't press charges against you for trespassing on my properties for obviously, you have completely lost your mind to think I'd buy such a story. Nathan, please show this young woman and her pet meowth to the door."
"I ain't her pet!" Meowth screeched, his tail more wild than a corncob. But of course, his cry fell on deaf ears.
The servant - for Nathan was his name – gave a slight bow before picking a protesting Meowth in one hand and walking to Jessie's side, extending an arm out to her with distain. Jessie narrowed her fox-like eyes. If anyone would think she'd give up so easily on something so easily obtainable, they had another thing coming. Her mind raced with furious thoughts that darted around like angry beedrill. 'How dare she?!', they seemed to cry. 'How dare she not trust me when I am trying to save her only son!'
The tall manservant bent over to meet Jessie's gaze.
"Miss, this way, if you please," he said, as if trying to remind a young child to mind her manners and do what she was told.
To Hell with that. She wasn't some kid.
And she wasn't going to be told what to do when her way was right.
Before the man knew what was happening, Jessie had brought her leg up in a blitz-like roundhouse kick, hitting the back of his head. Meowth flew out of his grasp and landed on the man's face, howling and screeching about being treated like a stray. The poor servant was out cold on the carpet in four seconds flat with numerous scratch marks tic-tacking his face, leaving the middle-aged woman unguarded. Jessie regained her balance and started walking towards James' mother. She'd be damned before she left the house empty handed. James was counting on her to rescue him and she wasn't about to let anyone, nevertheless James, lay her down with guilt she couldn't overcome.
"Alright, lady. You'd better start talking now. I am not good with words and I will beat you up if I have to," Jessie threatened, slammed a fist into her open palm. The French doors behind her flew open and the gorilla of a security guard that had caught her before came barging in. He wrapped a large arm around Jessie's waist and pulled her close, forcing the air out of her lungs.
Her hands flew to the limb of steeled muscles that held her captive and she pushed and hit desperately against its grip, screaming curses and death threats. Meowth, still pumped with angry adrenaline from his last fury-swiping frenzy, flung himself at the guard, slashing left and right at open air. Before Meowth got close enough to lay a scratch on him, the security guard flung back his free arm and swatted him into a wall as if he were a pesky fly, elicting a cry of pain from the cat pokèmon. The feline slowly slid down the wall, which he had made a large indent in, until he landed on the ground, his feet over his head and his mind too numbed with shock to react before the heavy oak door next to him flung open and sandwiched him between itself and the plaster wall.
"What is going on here?" a baritone voice asked.
"Sir-!" the guard stood up straight, his arm still holding Jessie firmly as she wriggled like a fish out of water, still screaming at him at the top of her lungs until she was silenced by the guard's large hand sealing her mouth shut.
"Dear! You shouldn't be up at this time. Go rest yourself," Virginia insisted her husband, turning her back towards Jessie with a swish of her long skirts to walk towards her spouse. Jessie snarled again in frustration before she caught sight of James' father and couldn't help but stare.
His normal dark steel-blue hair was replaced with bright gold tresses that reached down past his shoulders, to the middle part of his back. It was a strange sight to see a nobleman in a formal suit and a hairstyle more fit for a rebellious male teenager than a man such as he. James' father looked over his wife's shoulder and noticed Jessie who was baring her teeth at his wife's back and trying to pull away from the servant's grip.
"What are you doing here?" He asked calmly and motioned for the large guard to allow Jessie to speak. Jessie drew in a large breath before looking at the patriarch of the household.
"I'm here…to save my friend….your son…s-so you better tell me everything about this so-called Project G and you better tell me NOW!" Jessie lost control of her moment of calmness and the last half came out spat and snarled in angry tones only Jessie possessed.
"How dare you-!" Virginia scowled and slapped the magenta-haired girl with her closed fan so hard that a few feathers broke off and drifted lazily in the air and Jessie's head snapped harshly to the left from the impact. "I will not allow you – a spy and a liar- to speak in such a manner to my husband and the head of this household!"
"Virginia…enough," James' father waved his hand as if to tell his wife to hold her tongue. He made his way slowly to the center of the room, leaning most of his weight onto a cane that shone in the dim light.
He looked at Jessie. Or rather up and down her body, scanning every inch with his eyes. Being clothed in less-than revealing clothing consisting of her drenched khakis and her blouse, Jessie found no reason for him to be observing her like a lecher and felt rather violated. She looked down. Maybe the water soaked through her blouse or something. After a period of this body search, he spoke.
"This girl is no spy."
"I told you!"
He shut his eyes and sighed.
"Leave us."
The order was directed at the security guard who held Jessie and at Nathan were he conscious. Without protest or a puzzled look, the large guard released Jessie, swung the unconscious manservant over his broad shoulder and left the room, closing the French double-doors behind him.
Jessie looked around, suddenly self-conscious in the presence of the parents of her friend. James' father slowly walked around her; feeling her hair, touching her skin and mumbling under his breath.
"Look, sir. I don't appreciate you treating me like a horse here!" Jessie snarled. "I want information and I want it now!"
She suddenly sneezed which echoed through the large room.
James' father nodded sympathetically. "Yes, I apologize for my rudeness. I also see that you are not in the condition to discuss this matter at the moment. I'll see to it that you are run a bath and clothed in something…more suiting for you first."
The oak door from which James' father entered slowly creaked, swinging inwards from the wall. Meowth stumbled out from his place between said wall and door, looking rather frazzled.
"Meow…Jess, y'gotta stop gettin' me int'a these things…"
@--}--- '''
The ways of the opulent people never failed to astonish Jessie.
After her bath in a bathtub that would probably would be better categorized as a swimming pool, she was presented with an elegant evening gown of crimson red. Refusing the help of the maid who brought it to her, she quickly dressed and explored the containers of beauty supplies that lined the marble counter.
Applying makeup seemed to give the awkward occurrences of events a sense of normality to Jessie. It was a standard ritual done at least four times a day to insure that her beauty was heightened to its zenith at any given time. As she finished, the redhead smiled at herself in the mirror, feeling as confident as ever with her mask of makeup on. The pendent that still hung around her neck caught her eye; the half-sphere of ever-changing color catching the soft light and glittering teasingly, not unlike a small butterfree fluttering here and there to avoid the grasp of a curious child.
Jessie's smile fell a little. 'Take the sword', she mouthed almost silently as she traced over the pendent with her fingers, repeating the words of the strange being who had given it to her. She scoffed as an afterthought.
There was no time to be thinking of whatever stupid fight the old man had wanted her to take part in. She had to find James and that was the only thing that was required. Getting dragged into some celestial war that didn't concern her or her way of life was not on her agenda.
You have many strong desires. You wish to obtain fame, fortune and love, do you not, princess?
Jessie shook her head. Of course she did but fighting someone else's fight was not how she planned about reaching her goal. Her plan was to get James back, tromp around again as usual until she captured Pikachu, sell the freak rat and live off the profits. She dropped her hands to the side and gave herself a last look before venturing out of the lavish bathroom.
She found a pair of matching shoes for her outfit outside the door.
Yup, the rich folks never failed to surprise her.
@--}--- '''
"Meow, goils always take too much time to doll 'emselves up," a groomed Meowth with a diamond collar complained as Jessie entered the empty room. Jessie threw a warning glance at him and he quickly went back to running his rough tongue over his shining fur, the diamonds sparkling in the light as he arched and twisted.
"I'll take that as a compliment, you furball," Jessie replied as she swished by and sat herself on the elegant sofa that Meowth was also occupying. "I see you got the royal treatment too," she threw in.
"I guess," Meowth said, wrinkling his face where a nose should reside and resumed licking at his body. "But Me-owth, I smell like Growley's shampoo and that's dog all over it."
"Get over it. You needed a bath anyways," Jessie snapped, feeling somewhat pleased that Meowth was acting normal more or less. Jessie sighed, wondering if she would be offered any food during her stay. Yelling and running around had really distracted her from the needs of her stomach and now that she had some time, the organ made good use of it by grumbling nonstop. Fortunately for her, a nervous young man called her and Meowth to the dining room where they both ate noisily and broke about every rule of table etiquette much to the dismay of James' parents –dressed in shades of red and maroon - who dined on the opposite end of the long table and talked amongst themselves.
Having filled herself with rich food, Jessie followed them back into the sitting room and made herself comfortable on the sofa as her hosts sat themselves across from her in elegant chairs. Meowth curled up next to Jessie, keeping his eyes on James' father who had trimmed his hair and attempted to dye it back to the usual steel blue color though the golden shine was still noticeable.
The man spoke first.
"You must forgive my wife for accusing you of being a liar. The moment I saw you, I knew she was in the wrong."
His wife's face strained to keep expressionless while Jessie looked puzzled.
"Well…yeah, you're right about me not being a spy but what are you trying to get at? I need information on Project G. Not how I'm innocent," Jessie started becoming impatient.
"Yes, yes. The information. I see that you're not the patient one, child. And I am not the one that can articulate the complexity of this so-called 'Project G' so I bestow upon you copies of the documents that shall give you the answers," he called for a servant who immediately brought forth several thick manila envelopes and handed them to Jessie. "I do hope you have the time to read up on it during your stay."
"…..Meowth, you start reading these," Jessie quickly handed the top envelope to Meowth who protested until Jessie gave him her trademark "do-as-I-say-or-you'll-be-eating-through-a-straw-for-life" look. Mumbling under his breath, he pried one open and started reading through the tiny print. Jessie held the rest of the packets under her arm and stood up to leave for her room. Meowth stood up to follow.
James' father cleared his throat and the two stopped in their tracks.
"Now that that is…negotiated, there is something else that must be discussed. An urgent matter."
"Look, I know your son is important to you and stuff and he is to me too. I'm gonna get him back, no problem," Jessie said. "Now if you'll excuse us, it's been a very long day and I'd like to get some sleep." (Meowth grumbled that he was being made to stay up all night reading.)
"No. There is something else that you should think about as you sleep tonight, young lady," he said. Jessie raised an eyebrow.
"This is much more than rescuing my kidnapped son from Team Rocket."
He drew a deep breath. "This is about rescuing him from his true, destined being. For he shall bring this world down with him if he loses his identity."
"….what?" Jessie raised an eyebrow. "The whole world?"
"Dat's impossible. Unless Jimmy decided dat he'd a true flamin' moltres freak an' scares the whole planet t' death," Meowth retorted sarcastically.
No one laughed.
"…you don't realize that you are closer to the truth than you think, feline."
"Ya mean he really is a flamin' moltres?" Meowth asked with wide eyes.
"Not a moltres exactly," James' mother joined in on the conversation. "You see…we are decedents of an ancient tribe: the Tribe of the Phoenix. The blood runs pure in our veins. James….he is the reincarnation of The Phoenix; our warrior, protector and conqueror. But, if that power should awaken, and if the wrong person is to guide him…" she trailed off, looking at her husband who in turn looked towards Jessie, his eyes resting on the pendent around her neck.
"…mankind will only know the cold steel of shackles unless the descendent of the White Dragon Clan, his enemy, can defeat him."
Jessie's blood froze as she realized that he was referring to her. Jessie. Of Team Rocket. Her mind denied it as flashbacks of her meetings with the mysterious man of the Clan emerged. And as they came together, the words of the man fit together with the current situation.
There is a rivaling clan in this world; old enemies of ours. They have finally found their warrior.
No, she couldn't be James' enemy…
There is no time...you must take up the Sword and take your place as being the sole warrior of the White Dragon Clan.
No! She didn't want to fight him! If he was supposedly all powerful, she'd be pulverized!
How does it feel like to be the only one who could save the world?
The words of the mysterious figure of the White Dragon Clan rang in her ears. The whole world was practically driving down on her shoulders and Jessie felt faint. She would be the hero…the savior of the entire planet.
You wish to obtain fame, fortune and love, do you not, princess?
Yes, she did…but this was hardly the way she dreamed that she would obtain them all.
The celestial war had become a personal one but what was the use if she didn't want to be a part of it?
~*~*~*~*~
Wow. End of September. And I'm still not satisfied with the chapter. Senior year has shot and murdered my muse. ._.
Thank you all for continuing to read and review this fic! It's really great to know that people enjoy reading this and put up with my sporadic updating.
Let's see if I can get time to write more soon! Next chapter will be a lot of reviewing stuff so that will be short so thus, you'll probably end up getting two chapters updated almost next to each other. I'm so sorry that this chapter is really really boring (which is why it took forever to write) and wasn't worth the wait at all, but I promise some action soon, alright?
See you later!
-Silver Vaporeon 9-22-03