Chapter 50: The Final Goodbye
In my heart is where you are
It's where you'll always be
Staring out across the stars
A perfect memory
It brings me back to your arms,
I feel the warm embrace
Of everything that you were,
You're everything to me
And if I leave you here forever
Forever I would stay
Cause I've been feeling so much better
With every single day
And if I could control the weather,
The clouds and the rain
I know you're part of something deeper,
You're better off this way
...Amber Pacific - Forever
"Ouch!" Jessie hissed as she attempted to put on her blouse. The way she was stretching pulled and strained on the electric burns on her arms. Her exclamation of pain startled her mother's ninetales, who had taken up residence on the floor by Jessie's bed.
"Easy," Catherine said gently, moving to help her, "You're recovering quickly, but not that quickly."
Jessie grudgingly accepted the help from the older woman. She appreciated it, but she hated having someone dressing her. It made her feel like she was an infant. The group was making their way home today and Jessie couldn't wait. She was more than ready to see her babies again. And James.
Meowth had told her, after everyone else had retired for the evening, how they had managed to rescue James from the clutches of her evil cousin. Jessie had been impressed with the bravery of the feline and couldn't help but to smile a bit when he complained about Silver and Motorcycle going MIA for a few minutes at the mansion. Unfortunately, that was all he was able to tell her about James. He pretty much saw the twerps take James onto a boat and then Meowth was on his way to the Andes with Catherine, Silver, and Brock. The little bit of information that Meowth had been able to tell Jessie had left her worried about her other half.
"Did you need help with your pants?" Catherine asked. Jessie nodded.
"Yes, please," she said. Catherine dutifully helped her maneuver a pair of sweatpants on over her broken ankle. Jessie was quickly learning that the woman was kind and gentle, so opposite of Cassidy. Jessie wondered how her rival would've turned out if Catherine had been around to raise her.
"You look deep in thought," Catherine commented as she finished her task. Jessie shrugged.
"I guess I was just thinking about how different you and Cassidy are," she admitted. A sad look crossed Catherine's face and Jessie regretted saying anything.
"Meowth told me about Cassidy and Butch's involvement in your capture," Cassidy said slowly, "and I am very sorry for that. It's not the life I wanted for her...but it's obvious that we don't always get what we want."
"Yeah, that's true," Jessie agreed. She paused and then added, "You know, Meowth told me that when he rescued James, Butch and Cassidy could've stood in his way, but they didn't."
She didn't know why she said it, but she thought it might make Catherine feel better. Catherine nodded.
"He told me the same thing," Catherine said, absentmindedly reaching to scratch ninetales behind the ears, "It was a risk on their part not to engage Meowth. It could be seen as treason if Giovanni ever found out."
"Why would they risk it?" Jessie wondered.
Catherine thought about it for a moment and then she speculated, "Because they've still got their humanity."
"Humanity?"
"I don't want to alarm you, Jessie, but your boyfriend wasn't in good shape when we found him. He suffered in that mansion. Only someone truly evil would be able to witness that sort of torture and not feel something," Catherine explained, "They may be rethinking their involvement in Team Rocket. Most recruits don't realize it's much more than a gang. They don't realize that they may be asked to kill."
Jessie felt chills run up her back and asked in a whisper, "Did you ever kill anyone?"
"Just Daphne," Catherine answered, her gaze far away, "We were effective thieves and we could do our jobs without murder. Besides, there was a totally different division for 'clean-up'."
Jessie opted not to think about it and asked, "So if Butch and Cassidy are in too deep and regretting it like you say, then why don't they run? James and I did it."
"I would suspect that Giovanni changed tactics over the years. Fear and intimidation worked to keep you and James in line for a while, but eventually that fear drove you to flee Team Rocket. He had nothing to force you to stay," Catherine explained, "It's different for Butch and Cassidy. He has their child to hold over their heads...and you know that there's nothing a parent won't do for their offspring."
"I told Dad that they had a kid, but he thought I was being dramatic," Jessie huffed. Catherine managed a small smile.
"He'll be four-years-old on March 17," Catherine said, "BJ. Giovanni showed me his picture the day he was born. He made a special trip out to Seafoam for it. He wanted me to know that my grandson would be a part of Team Rocket. Another blow."
That didn't sit right with Jessie. She might not think highly of the parents, but the little boy was innocent. He deserved a chance to be better than the crime syndicate, but he was no more than a pawn in Giovanni's sick little game...just like the rest of them. She shook her head and said, "It's not fair. He plays with everyone's lives like they mean nothing."
"He does," Catherine agreed, "and it won't end until the man himself is dead. Even then, who's to say that he won't have a successor just as terrible? It might be that the whole organization will need to fall before any of us can have some semblance of peace."
"Team Rocket is huge. There's no way it can fall," Jessie said doubtfully. The crime syndicate was always looking to expand to new regions. World domination and all that.
"Then perhaps it might be best for those that are able to run to do just that," Catherine offered, "It's not living if someone else is holding the puppet strings."
"Hey, are you girls ready to go?" Jack's voice floated through the infirmary. Ninetales got to her feet, her ears pricked up and on alert. Then Jack appeared around the corner with a wheelchair. Meowth was seated inside of it, but promptly hopped out of it. Jessie made a face.
"I'm not using that," Jessie said flatly.
"Yer ankle's broke and ya got burns that'll make crutches hurt," Meowth chided.
"I'll take my chances with the crutches," Jessie replied with distaste.
"Jessie, this is the safest way to get out of here," Jack attempted to reason with her. She wasn't convinced. Even Ninetales nudged Jessie towards the chair.
Catherine managed a small chuckle at the face Jessie made, "Your mother made the same face when we had to wheel her out of the hospital after you were born."
"And after that business with the Akagis," Jack remembered, "I think she was worse that time."
"She was," Catherine agreed, "She nearly passed out trying to walk out of the room and it was only then that she'd allow us to help."
"Sounds exactly like Jessie," Meowth quipped, "C'mon already, Jess. It's faster than you hoppin' along and da faster we get out of here, da faster we can see James and da kids."
Jessie muttered under her breath, but she allowed Catherine and Jack to help her into the chair. She wanted to see James and her babies more than anything...even at the expense of her pride. They stopped at the entrance to the pokemon center to wait as Jack, Brock, and Silver loaded up the plane outside.
"Was my mom really that stubborn?" Jessie asked Catherine. The older woman nodded.
"Oh yeah," she said, "No one could stop Miya once she set her mind to something."
"Definitely like Jess," Meowth commented from the ground. Ninetales whined in agreement beside him.
Jessie rolled her eyes, but Catherine laughed, "It was one of Miya's better qualities. Her stubbornness helped our team succeed. It made her hard working and tenacious. It made her a loyal and true friend. Once she decided that you were worth it, she would stick by you to the end. She was the best friend that anyone could ask for. You wanted her in your corner because she would fight for you until her last breath."
Jessie knew that it was true. Even in death, her mother was still looking out for her.
"How long did ya know her for?" Meowth asked.
"Seventeen years," Catherine answered, "We were friends long before we ever joined Team Rocket. Both of us came from poor families and we were both determined to do better for ourselves. Team Rocket seemed like an easy way to achieve that goal. We met Daphne when we joined the Team"
"How long did ya know her?" Meowth asked. Ninetales let out a low growl at Daphne's name.
"Nine years," Catherine revealed.
"Ouch," Meowrth commented, "Dat's a long time to be friends with someone and den have 'em stab ya in the back."
"It hurt," Catherine admitted, "and I'll always think of the what ifs. What if I had seen the signs sooner? What if I had gone on that mission to the Andes? What if I hadn't included Daphne in our plans the night I was captured? Those things will haunt me for the rest of my life."
"I don't think my mom would want that," Jessie said softly, "I don't think she'd want you regretting things that you had no control over."
"You're probably right," Catherine allowed, "but even so, everyday, I wonder what would've happened if I had been on that mountain with them. Maybe I could've stopped it. It always was my job to be a buffer between the two of them."
"She had a gun," Jessie stated, "You would've died along with Mom."
Catherine frowned at Jessie and asked, "How could you possibly know that?"
Jessie shuffled a little realizing that she had said too much. She wasn't entirely sure if her dream of her mother was real or if it was something that Jessie had conjured up in her mind. It had felt real and there was plenty of evidence in the real world that everything in the dream had been real.
She was saved from an answer by Jack, who was jogging back to the entrance.
"We're ready to go. Shall we?" he asked. He took over pushing Jessie's wheelchair through the snow towards the small plane.
Jack kept looking back up at the mountain that had been his home for so long. He felt uneasy, like he was leaving something behind. He was thinking about Miya, of how she was still out there somewhere. Suddenly, Ninetales stopped on the runway, catching his attention.
"Ninetales?" Jack questioned, looking down at the fox pokemon. Her ears were perked up and pointed in the direction of the trees, waiting for something.
"What is she doing?" Jessie asked, twisting in the chair..
"She senses somethin'," Meowth said suddenly, "Somethin' big. I feel it too."
"Like what?" Catherine asked, "Danger or…"
She trailed off as a she noticed a pale pink light. Coming through the trees towards the runway.
"What is it?" Jessie asked.
"Beats da heck outta me," Meowth replied, "but it really feels weird, don't it?"
Jessie was about to ask what he meant by that, when she felt warmth spread through her. It was a feeling she had felt before. It reminded her of a warm hug that smelled of lavender and another unique scent. It reminded her of purple hair and an all-powerful love. Suddenly, her ankle and burns stopped hurting. She moved her ankle experimentally and felt no pain.
"Miya," Jack breathed, her name inexplicably falling from his lips. Then the pale light receded, allowing the group to see the cause: a small, pink cat-pokemon. Mew chirped cutely.
Jack felt his heart plummet and then anger. Angrily, he turned away, pushing past Brock and the others so he could throw the supplies he was carrying into the plane. Hate licked his insides as he heard the cat chirp.
He ignored the gasps of the group. It was just a stupid legendary pokemon...the pokemon that was responsible for Miya's death.
But Jessie was not in awe of Mew. She was staring fixedly on the apparition next to Mew. Her mother's transparent form approached the group.
"Mom?" she questioned, pushing herself out of the chair. Her ankle definitely wasn't busted anymore. Mew and her mother had seen to that.
"Did you think I would let you leave without saying goodbye?" Miya asked, smiling softly, reaching out to touch Jessie's face, but then she pulled back, perhaps realizing that they could not touch.
"Meeeeeeewww!" Mew trilled loudly, much to the annoyance of Jack, who holed himself into the back of the plane.
But to the amazement of everyone outside, Miya's transparent frame suddenly became more opaque, more solid. Miya looked at her hand in amazement.
"What-"
"Mew mew mew mew," Mew chirped.
"Mew says dat it owes ya. Says dat you deserve dis chance," Meowth translated.
"It can bring people back for the dead?" Silver exclaimed in surprise.
"Chance?" Jessie asked her friend. Mew trilled again.
"Mew says dis won't last long," Meowth said. Understanding dawned on Miya's face, but before Jessie could ask, she was pulled into a tight, fierce hug from her mother. Bone-crushing.
"I love you, you understand?" Miya whispered in her ear, "Always. I'll always be there. Never forget that."
"I won't," Jessie whispered back.
"You'll be fine, Honey. You hold those kids and never let go," Miya whispered as they pulled apart. She looked over to Catherine, who couldn't seem to be able to form words. Her mouth was moving, but nothing came out. Moving past Jessie, Miya pulled Catherine into a hug, as well.
"I'm so sorry," the words finally tumbled from Catherine's lips.
"I'm sorry too," Miya said back, "I saw it all. I wish I could have done something."
"How is this…how…"
"Never mind that," Miya dismissed, pulling away to look Catherine in the eyes, aqua meeting purple, "Listen. I need you to stick by them. If I'm not there, you should be."
"I will. Of course I will," Catherine promised.
"Good," Miya said, satisfied, "Don't let the past haunt you, Catherine. Move on and don't ever regret or feel guilty over it. I'm behind you in everything that you do, no matter what. I love you, Catherine. You'll always be my sister."
"I love you, Miya."
A whine turned both women's attention to Ninetails, who was looking up at her former trainer with longing and sadness. Miya knelt down to pet her.
"I know you know what's happening," she stated, "I won't be a shadow on this mountain anymore. I'll be…on. Take care of our family in my place."
Ninetails whined again.
"Trust me. Trust them," Miya instructed. Then she straightened and looked at Silver, "You be good to my niece. Akira is going to need you in the coming years and you had better be good to her."
"Uh...okay?" Silver said, flushing red. Miya's face softened a little.
"Your mother wants you to think about you and not about your father. She says he isn't worth you wasting your time on," Miya added, "She loves you."
For the first time since she had known him, Jessie saw that Silver was completely speechless.
Then, Miya paused and looked to the plane.
Jack didn't know why, but he suddenly had an overwhelming urge to look out the window. He didn't know why, for he hated that stupid pink blob, but every fiber of his being was telling him to glance outside. Turning his head slightly, his blue eyes found a familiar pair of aqua ones through the pane of glass.
He felt his heart in his throat. His body moved on instinct as every cell in his body moved to hers, like gravity. He fumbled his way out of the plane and stumbled across the runway. She was moving towards him, too. Three steps…two steps…one…
She was in his arms again. Miyamoto Lillis was in his arms again, clinging to him for dear life, as he was doing to her. He couldn't fathom how it was possible, but he didn't care, for his skin was touching hers. He felt her warmth and basked in the pale glow, feeling younger and more alive than he had in years.
"I love you," Miya whispered.
"I love you, too," Jack gasped back, hardly aware of the tears that fell from his eyes as he held her to him.
Jessie, Meowth, Catherine, Silver, and Brock watched as the pair was engulfed in that same pale pink light. Jack's features seemed to morph in the light. His wrinkles and lines smoothed out and his eyes were bright. For a moment, he was the twenty-something man who had fought for the love of his life.
And then it was over.
Ever so slowly, Miya's body dissolved and suddenly she was transparent again. Jack was left holding air and looking just as old, if not older, as he did before Mew and Miya appeared. He looked horribly confused and Miya looked as though she could feel all of his pain. She looked over to Mew, who had landed on the ground and was panting from exertion.
"I don't have long," she said.
"How?" Jack croaked, feeling cheated.
"I'm dead, Jack," Miya replied, "For the past twenty-two years, I've haunted these mountains as a shadow, always watching over you, protecting you, with Mew."
"Mew?" Jack asked, "But…I…"
"Mew never caused my death, Jack," Miya revealed, "It was all Daphne. Mew felt guilt about not being able to save me, so the deal was as long as my loved ones were on this mountain, I could stay. When you and Jessie leave, I'll no longer be needed and I can go on."
"On?" Jack repeated, poorly disguised panic on his face, "I can stay. I'll stay and you won't have to go-"
"Shut up and listen to me," Miya ordered. To Jessie's surprise, Jack obeyed. Catherine couldn't help smiling at the no-nonsense attitude that hadn't changed with death.
"Jack, you need to go," Miya told him, "Both of us…we need to move on to bigger and better things."
"Miya-"
"Shh," she scolded, "Jack, you still have a life to live. For Jessie and our friends. Our grandchildren. And many more people you have yet to meet. You still have a purpose, even if you can't see it yet. Mine is done and now I have to go on."
"So I'm expected to live while you get to leave me alone?" Jack asked, "How do expect me to forget you and just live?"
"Jack, I expect you to get on that plane and go out into a world you've been denied. I expect you remember me and the life we had, and be thankful for it, and then I expect you to start building a new life with new memories and new, and old, people. I don't want you to mourn and close yourself off; you've done enough of that," Miya stated, "You will do all of that, and then, when the time is right, we will meet again. If you don't do all of that, then we will meet again, but I can guarantee that I can and will make your afterlife a living hell. I've got friends in low places."
Despite himself, Jack cracked into a smile, "You always had a way with words. I love you."
"I love you, too," Miya said back, stepping back so she could look at all of them, "All of you. Goodbye. I'll see you all again one day."
Mew trilled once and then both it and Miya vanished.
Jessie took that as a cue that it was time for them to leave the mountain as well.
It was time to go home.
TBC
Next: Jessie reunites with her family.