James entered Ash's room again to see Ash watching television with both Misty and his mother asleep around him. It was expected though. Everyone had been exhausted after the ordeal at Team Rocket Headquarters and the others were all sleeping at the pokemon center right now. However, James had other things to do instead of sleep right now. Ash noticed him come in and smiled. Ash indicated for James to sit down on the bed. James smiled back and crossed the room. He sat down on the bed beside Ash.
"What brings you back here?" Ash said. Ash's reaction to James' returning was one of relief, but more like the relief of one with a troubled mind rather than one of a bored person.
"I've got a question for you," James replied. Ash nodded.
"Shoot," he said.
"Well, I just wanted to know, what death was like. Is it in the clouds with God and Jesus and St. Peters and protected by the Pearly Gates and whatnot?" James asked. Ash's smile lessened slightly, not much but just enough to notice.
"No it's not like that. You're not really anywhere. You don't think there. You don't have the capability. Everything is just emotions. You feel safe and loved and secure. You only feel happy and that's it. You don't remember anything. Family, friends, loved ones. You don't even remember them. I was only there for a short while before…." Ash trailed off and averted his gaze from James, guiltily. James' smile vanished.
"Before you were ripped away from pure happiness and dumped back here," James said solemnly. Ash nodded.
"And it…..hurts. Not just because I just had a disease, but it hurts when…." Ash struggled to put into words what he felt. So James provided.
"It hurts with every breath that you take and every beat of your heart. It hurts when you speak and blink and think. Everything you do hurts," James said turning away from Ash to look out the room's window. Not really out the window but more past it to something else that couldn't be seen. Ash nodded and looked back up at him with a confused look on his face.
"Yeah. How do you know?" Ash asked incredulously. James continued as though he didn't hear Ash.
"Now you feel guilt because you don't want to be here after everyone did so much to keep you here. It will pass though. And it will continue to hurt, but you'll get used to it. You'll eventually move on again. It will take time but it will happen. It's really amazing what we can get used to," James said before finally turning back to Ash, who wore a very puzzled look.
"But….why…..how…." Ash stammered unable to form a question correctly. James smiled at him.
"You aren't the first to know what it feels like," James said smoothly. Ash's puzzled expression turned to one of shocked realization.
"You mean that you? When? How?" Ash asked him. James only raised his eyebrows in a reply before getting up. He turned and began to walk towards the door.
"Don't mention this to anyone okay? What I told you I mean. Especially not Misty. They can't know," Ash said, finally able to form words again. James nodded but didn't turn. He continued on to the door and left Ash again with his own thoughts. The question James had buried inside him for so long was finally answered. He just hoped that it didn't change.
"Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring, Phone Call Phone Call! Ring Ring Ring, Ring Ring Ring, Phone-" Finally a tall woman with long, beautiful, cascading blonde hair and emerald green eyes picked up the phone.
"Yes," she said casually. She wore a uniform of standard Team Rocket design but it was blood red with gold trim and there was an emerald green "E" in the center and on the shoulders of the sleeves instead of the usual red "R." Giovanni's face appeared on the videophone's screen, but instead of his usual composed form, he was dirty and disheveled wearing a prison uniform. He had dried blood on his nose, which appeared to have come from bite marks. He looked extremely agitated, unlike the woman in the other end.
"Where have you been!" he yelled at her. Unlike most, she did not flinch at the sound of his yells. She smiled patronizingly at him.
"I don't know what time it is in prison, but here it's lunch time," She said smoothly. Giovanni growled.
"Never mind. Get me out of here! I can't take life here! Everything is filthy and it's terrible. Just get me out!" he yelled in a hushed whisper so the guards couldn't hear. She smiled again.
"Don't worry. Darian has already sent one of our best agents to help you. They should be there in a few moments," she said in a sweet reassuring voice. Giovanni visibly relaxed. Within a few short seconds, the door opened and a tall man dressed all in black and wearing a black trench coat walked in. The man pulled out two pistols and shot both the guards by the door with one bullet to the head. Within another few seconds of thundering gunshots and panic, everyone in the room was dead except for Giovanni and the assassin. Giovanni sighed and began to walk towards him.
"I am so gl-" Giovanni halted as the assassin shot him twice, once in the stomach, and once in the chest. Giovanni stumbled back against the videophone. He turned to the picture of the woman on the phone.
"I thought you said he was going to help me," Giovanni said and he sprayed a few drops of blood on the screen. The woman smiled.
"He is helping you. Helping you to the afterlife," she said smugly. Giovanni gave a look of shock and betrayal before the assassin put a bullet through his skull, splattering the videoscreen with blood. The transmission ended abruptly as the assassin shot the phone. The transmission burst into static as Giovanni's lawyer stepped into the room. The woman turned off the phone.
"Is it finished Delilah?" he asked taking off his tie and undoing his shirt's top button. Delilah turned to face him.
"Oh no Darian. It's only just beginning."