Chapter 13

Safe Haven

After she took control of the helicopter, following a brief moment of searching for her family from the air, Julia lowered the craft to let the four of them board. She then lifted off again, taking a southerly route out of the canyon.

"Where are we going, dear?" Miyamoto asked her at the cockpit.

"We need to head out to the open sea, first," Julia answered. "There's too many Rocket spies inland. After that, we should take a hook after going a few miles due east of Fuchsia City. Not many patrols are lurking around in that area. We have to land the chopper a good distance away from the mansion, though – otherwise the spies hiding in the area will detect us for sure. We need to take them all out if we're going to get everyone in the mansion out."

"But how will you know where all the spies are hiding?" Jessie peered over the seat in which Julia was piloting the helicopter.

"I've got a portable radar device in my pocket," she said. "I'll be able to track them down."

After about an hour of flying, Julia successfully avoided detection as she took the helicopter down, landing in an area which was surrounded by trees and bushes. The mansion was visible far off in the distance beyond the tree-line. Disembarking the helicopter, they all crouched amongst a field of tall grass to discuss their plan of action.

"I don't think we should all go over there," James shuddered. "Something might happen, and we might all get caught."

"Maybe some of us should stay behind with da' chopper. Dat's probably da best thing to do," Meowth suggested.

"The two of you should go on," Miyamoto said to her two daughters. "I'll stay behind with James and Meowth on the helicopter."

"That's probably the best course of action for us to take, mom," Julia agreed as Jessie nodded with her. "Jessie and I will get out safely."

"Take care, and stay safe, my darlings," Miyamoto kissed her daughters on their foreheads as they both hugged her. They then parted ways as Julia and Jessie ran quietly into the woods, alert and on the lookout for any sign of the Rocket spies.

"Got anything yet?" Jessie whispered as she looked over at Julia's radar.

"There seems to be two of them approximately 90 yards away, due north-east. We should take them out. How good are you with darts?" Julia responded.

"Excuse me?" Jessie said, confused. Julia silently pulled out one of her tulips and showed it to her. "Oh…"

"They're standing about twelve yards apart from each other. We need to take them out at exactly the same time, otherwise if one of them lets out a yelp, the other will alert all the others around the perimeter."

"Don't worry – I'll take care of it," Jessie assured her.

The two sisters silently crept the whole of just under 80 yards, taking position behind some thick bushes as the Rocket spies were oblivious to their presence. Julia carefully took out two sedative rose darts from her uniform and handed one of them to Jessie.

"Three…two…one…" Julia mouthed to Jessie, and then they both simultaneously sprung up quietly and threw their roses at the two spies, taking them out with great efficiency.

"Where to, now?" Jessie whispered.

"We have to leave those two alone. Chances are that all of them are carrying tracking devices which let them pinpoint each other's locations. They're also probably maintaining all of their positions: if we move these two, the others will probably get suspicious. It's best to just let them be," Julia said.

"Agreed. Let's move on to the next location."

After a few more tense minutes of successfully neutralizing more spies and making sure that there weren't any that they had missed, Jessie and Julia made a dash for the family mansion. It was just past 2am, and it was almost certain that no-one would be up at this hour. Except…

"Arc, Arcanine…" Growlie, who was guarding the mansion, gruffly grunted at the sight of Julia, who backed away slightly.

"Growlie, it's ok. She's with me," Jessie showed herself to Growlie, walking over to him and hugging him warmly as his expression softened and he rubbed his face against Jessie. "Look, we need to get everyone inside out of here right now. Team Rocket has spies all around the place."

"Arc," Growlie nodded, then swiftly ran over to the side of the mansion, where he shot a mild flamethrower into the air just outside Hopkins the butler's window. The manservant, woken by the sudden flash of red light, walked over to the window and opened it, peering down at the great tiger-like Pokémon who made two jerks of his head in the direction of the main entrance and then ran back to the front of the mansion. A minute later, a tired-looking Hopkins opened the door to see to his surprise that Jessie had returned.

"Lady Jessie, I thought you weren't due back for a few more days!" he greeted her.

"Please, Hopkins, we have no time. We have to get everyone out right now. Are they all asleep?" Jessie said frantically.

"Yes, my lady, but who is this?" he said, looking at Julia. "And why must we all-"

"There's no time to explain right now! We're all in great danger, Hopkins! Now where are my children?" Jessie panicked.

"They are upstairs in their preferred bedroom, my lady," Hopkins turned to the side, pointing at the staircase. He then let out a soft whimper as Jessie dashed past him and ran up the stairs.

"Belle! Demetry! Mother! Father!" Jessie called as she hurried upwards, calling her children and parents-in-law. She first ran into her children's favored bedroom (they had several, as it was a large mansion), her heart overjoyed as she saw them safe once again. The two young children looked with surprise at their mother, who embraced them tightly.

"What's going on, mama?" Belle asked innocently.

"Ssh…everything's going to be fine, my darling," Jessie kissed her daughter on the cheek. "But the two of you have to come with me right now. We have to leave."

"Aww, but I was having a really nice dream, mommy!" Demetry whined.

"And I'm sure you'll have them again very soon, dear," Jessie said to him as she picked up both children on each arm, the two of them holding onto her shoulders. "Now come on – we have to get your grandparents out as well."

After running a short while down the long corridor, Jessie caught eye of James' mother, who drearily walked out of her and her husband's bedroom with a yawn. "Hopkins, what is the meaning of this racket, at this hour of the night?"

"Mother!" Jessie called out to her.

"Jessie? Is that…you?" her mother-in-law looked at her with shock on her face.

"Mother, we have to get out of here right now. Team Rocket's spies are everywhere. We managed to take them out temporarily, but we only have little time until they become active again," Jessie explained.

"Is that…true?" the older woman gasped, then turned quickly back into the bedroom. "Darling, get up! We have to leave now!"

After a brief moment of incoherent conversation to Jessie between her parents-in-law, the two of them were soon right behind Jessie as she carried her children down the stairs with her after collecting all of her and James' Pokéballs, and ran back towards them entrance where Hopkins, Julia and Growlie were waiting for them.

"Alright. Let's go – we haven't got much time," Julia said as she started to lead the way back to the helicopter.

"Pardon me for asking, but just who are you?" James' mother asked her.

"We haven't got time for that at this moment. We can talk about that when we're all safe," Jessie quickly replied as they ran after Julia towards the woods, taking a route which was clear of all Rocket patrols.

"Demetry! Belle!" James cried out as he saw the group run towards them. He took them out of the arms of Jessie, who was exhausted from carrying them all the way back to the helicopter. After embracing his two children, James put them down on the floor of the helicopter and then hugged Jessie tightly as they embraced for a kiss.

"Growlie…I knew I could count on you," James smiled over Jessie's shoulder to his trusted old friend, who smiled back and gave a low growl of affection.

Miyamoto then went up to her daughters and gave them a warm hug. "I knew I could count on you two. If only your father could be here with us…"

"…Father?" Julia looked up at her in wonder.

Miyamoto's eyes began to fill with sadness, before she quickly averted her attention to the helicopter. "Come. We should get out of here, right now." She then lifted one foot on top of its skids, before pausing as she saw her two beautiful grandchildren looking curiously at her, which made her smile. She got onto the helicopter and spoke to them in a soft, soothing voice as she took them to the back. "Come with me, you two – let's sit at the back."

The two children looked at Miyamoto, then looked at Jessie, who gave them an assuring nod with a smile. They then smiled and went to the back of the helicopter with their maternal grandmother as Julia rushed into the cockpit.

"Come on, we have to leave," James said as he turned around to his parents and Hopkins, who all nervously got onto the chopper with slight hesitation. After seeing his family all get on board, James gave a nod to Growlie as he recalled him into his Pokéball, then jumped onto the helicopter. Julia then piloted them all away from the mainland, taking a westward route after travelling a few miles towards the open sea.

"Where could we possibly go, where we won't be tracked by those spies?" Julia asked.

"Do you think we could…maybe stay with Ash?" James spoke to Jessie.

"We can't James," Jessie answered. "Their house is literally rigged with devices planted while they were away, remember? We'll have to go someplace else."

"But we couldn't possibly go to Pewter City to stay with Brock and Sabrina, either," James added. "Pewter City is most likely to be heavily watched by Team Rocket as it's the closest major city to the Indigo Plateau. Not to mention the security forces who will be onto us like lightning and accuse us for things we didn't do if we make a landing there!"

"That is a problem…" Jessie looked down, biting her lower lip. But after a brief moment of thought, she brought her head up again with hope. "Hey, do you think we could maybe stay with Ash's parents in Pallet town?"

"I don't know, Jessie," James shook his head. "We don't know anything about whether or not any Rockets would be-"

"There are none of them in Pallet Town," Julia said suddenly, to the surprise of Jessie and James. "When I was still loyal to Team Rocket, I asked him why he didn't send any forces to keep a watch there. He simply said nothing, and wouldn't give a single explanation as to why. He just simply swung his chair around until he faced the window, and then he took something out of his pocket and looked at it reflectively for a short while. I couldn't see it well as his chair was very tall, but it looked like a picture of some sort."

"Now that we seem to be safe, is it alright if I ask you," James' mother inquired to Julia, "…who are you?"

"I'm…" Julia stammered, initially finding it quite difficult to say without causing confusion, "…My name is Julia, and I'm Jessie's sister."

"And I am their mother, Miyamoto," the older Musashi gave a proper introduction to them.

"My…well, this is rather an unexpected turn of events, I must say," James' father remarked.

"Common, we can have this awkward conversation another time, when we're all not so tired," Meowth stated. "Let's get goin' to Pallet Town!"

(Meanwhile, at Team Rocket HQ)

"Father, I'm afraid I have some news which maybe…unpleasant for you to hear…" Silver said dully after he entered Giovanni's office to see him standing with his arms behind his back as he looked out at the night sky through the window.

"What is it, Silver?" Giovanni turned his head slightly to his right, still looking out the window.

"The prisoners have all escaped," Silver said, as his voice then turned sour, "…along with Julia…"

"…" Giovanni remained silent, seemingly making no reaction at all as he continued to gaze into the distance.

"The execution squad had all been neutralized. They are currently being disciplined for their failure," Silver informed him, crossing his arms as he spoke. "The escapees have taken a helicopter from the main hangar. I assume that Julia was the one who gained access to it. They departed approximately 20 minutes past midnight. It appears they have also temporarily incapacitated all of our spies who were positioned around the mansion, as we have only just received reports that all who were inside have gone missing. Shall I send out the search teams in their craft?"

After a moment of silence, Giovanni replied. "No. That will not be necessary. Commit all our resources towards the satellite launch, instead."

Silver, frustrated at the fact that he could not go to pursue his lover, looked disdainfully at his father who still had his back to him. Once his frustration died down, he gave his reply. "Yes, father. But before I go, I want you to promise me one thing."

"What is that?" Giovanni looked over his shoulder again, this time looking at Silver directly.

"Promise me that you'll spare Julia from any and all punishment you are going to inflict on them. Just her, nobody else – you can do your worst to the others. This organization needs her…as do I."

With that, Silver departed them room with a heavy heart, crushed to see the woman he loved leave Team Rocket in an instant, hardly having a thought about him as she clearly held her own family in much higher importance. He resolved to get her back no matter what the cost, so that he could one day achieve his dream of becoming the new leader of Team Rocket with her by his side.

(On the outskirts of Pallet Town)

After a little over an hour of flight, Julia brought down the helicopter in a forested area close to the sea. Jessie and James carried Belle and Demetry in their arms as they led the way to Pallet Town, the two young children having fallen asleep during the flight. All of them were exhausted, and were glad to see the sight of buildings as they ascended over a hill.

Finally arriving at Delia and Chris' house, Jessie weakly knocked against the door three times, then three times more when no response came from within. Just as she was about to try a third time, a familiar voice came from inside.

"Who…is it?" Delia's drowsy voice said.

"It's me, Delia. Jessie. We need…your help," Jessie murmured, exhausted to the point of collapsing.

"Jessie? Is that really you? I thought you were still-" Delia gasped as she opened the door, her speech being cut off as Jessie fell forward into her arms while still holding Belle. Delia embraced them both, supporting Jessie towards the guests' bedroom where she led all of them to. "Please, come this way. You must all be exhausted."

"What happened?" Chris asked as he also helped them into the room. "You all look so spent!"

"Dear, it's best that we don't press them for any answers until they've been properly rested. We can talk about everything in the morning. But for now, we need to get them all some rest," Delia insisted. Her husband nodded as they turned into the guest room.

All of them soon got settled into the bunk beds: Jessie and James slept together in the lower bunk of the bed which was against the left wall, with Belle and Demetry in their arms. Above them lay Miyamoto with Julia, who looked very peaceful for the first time in years as she held her mother. On the top bunk of the other bed were James' parents, and on the bottom was a rather disgruntled Meowth who was silently grumbling at the fact that Hopkins was taking up a good deal of space.

"Sleep well, everyone. I'll tell Professor Oak what happened, in the morning," Delia said as she shut the door behind her and Chris.

"Darling, I'm sure that the older lady in Rocket uniform was Miyamoto, as Ash told us that Jessie mentioned to him that her mother was helping her, James and Meowth," Chris said softly to her as they headed back up the stairs to their bedroom. "But I wonder who the young blonde girl is."

"I'm sure she means well to all of us, dear. Don't worry," Delia smiled, holding his hand as he squeezed hers in trust. "We'll give Ash and Misty a call in the morning."

(Ash's POV)

I woke the next morning to an eerie sound, reminiscent of soft whistling. Looking down, I saw the back of Misty's head as her chin lay on my chest. Smiling, I stroked my fingers through her fiery hair, which caused her to drowsily wriggle around until her head was on my lap and she looked at me, an angelic smile on her face.

"Hi, honey. How are you feeling?" she grinned.

"To be honest, a wee-bit weird, Mist," I chuckled.

"Huh? Why's that?" she stroked my cheek with her right hand.

I did my best to keep back my laughter. "You do realize that you were snoring, right, Mist?"

"What? Me? Snore? I never do! That's something that you're known for, not me!" she defended herself as she blushed red.

"…You snore, Mist," I teased her, gently tapping her nose.

"Oh, shut up, you," she giggled as she leapt towards me, giving me a big hug as she laid her head against my neck.

"Ow!" I yelped as my head hit against the headboard of the bed.

"…Sorry!" Misty innocently bit her teeth together.

"It's alright, Mist," I said, rubbing the back of my head. We then kissed and got out of bed, to make breakfast for ourselves and our children. After finishing our meal of fried eggs and toast, Misty called out to Ethan and Claire. In a short while, Claire toddled down the stairs, but Ethan remained silent and unresponsive as we both looked at each other with heavy hearts.

"We should…go upstairs and have a talk with him, shouldn't we?" Misty said to me.

"That's probably for the best, Mist. Better that we have it sooner rather than later," I nodded.

"Claire, honey, why don't you get started on breakfast with Pikachu and Marill? Mommy and Daddy will be right back –we just have to have a little talk with your big brother," Misty looked over her shoulder and smiled to her.

"Is Ethan in trouble, mommy?" Claire innocently asked.

"No! Not at all – what makes you say that, sweetie?" Misty replied with a small laugh. "We'll be back in a minute, so don't eat too fast, honey!"

After the two of us left the kitchen, Misty's false smile quickly disappeared, as her eyes looked like they were on the verge of shedding tears. I held her hand firmly, and she rested her head against my shoulder, clearly showing that she no longer wanted to see Ethan continue on like this.

"It'll be alright, Mist. I promise," I whispered into her ear. Misty wrapped her arm around my chest, knowing that all our previous attempts to reach out to Ethan only resulted in failure. As we entered his room, we saw him standing by the window, looking out towards the open sea which glittered with sunlight.

Sighing, I walked forward with Misty and began to talk to our son. "Ethan, I know that you probably dislike us very much, but…you have to realize – we love you, and only want to help you!"

Ethan turned his head sideways to look at us briefly, then diverted his full attention back to the sea.

"Ethan…my boy…" Misty murmured, slowly approaching him and placing her hand gently on his right shoulder. He quickly moved one pace to his left, as Misty's hand slid away. Unable to contain herself any longer, Misty fell to her knees in front of him and turned him by his shoulders until they were eye to eye. Her tears now fell freely as she cried out to him. "Ethan, please! I can't watch you go on like this! You were a joy to both me and your father since the day you were born! What happened that day when we were taken by the dark Shadow Pokémon was my fault, and my failure! Please, you must know that your father and I love you so very much, and we'd do anything possible if it means seeing you smile again!"

"…Mother…" Ethan spoke under his breath, his face still not showing any real signs of emotion apart from dullness.

"Don't you remember the day, when after two years of misery and darkness, we were reunited with your father?" Misty continued. "I had never seen such a radiant smile on your face. From the bottom of my heart, I knew that it was one of the happiest days of my life, and I'd give anything to see that sight again."

As Ethan looked over at me, I was lost for words, instead opting to communicate the strong emotions I was feeling through our powers of Aura, of which Ethan was unusually gifted in for his young age. Then, Ethan's expression slightly softened – but still seemed quite far from happy – as he began to follow us downstairs to join Claire at the breakfast table, as Misty and I let out small sighs of relief.

"Well, Mist, we can at least be thankful that we've made some progress," I said to her softly while she held Ethan's hand.

"You're right, Ash. I guess we should be grateful that we've gotten somewhere," she agreed.

As we just came down from the staircase, I heard my pokegear phone ringing from our bedroom upstairs. Wincing at the fact that I had to go all the way back to answer it, I turned to Misty. "Hey Mist, I'll be right back in just a minute. I've got a feeling that it's an important call."

"Ok, Ash. We'll get started on breakfast, for now," Misty smiled and led Ethan into the kitchen. I rushed upstairs and held up the phone to see who it was: it was Mom.

"Hi, mom, what's up?" I said.

"Hello, dear. I'm just calling you to say that Jessie, James and Meowth have returned, and are currently staying at our house with their family," she informed me.

"Huh? Really? What went wrong with them?" I asked, curious as to what happened.

"Your father and I didn't get the chance to have a proper talk with them yet, but it seems like something bad has happened overnight. They're all still asleep from exhaustion: they arrived here at around 3am, would you believe it?"

"Wow…it must have been serious…this is worrying, for sure," I murmured.

"We're going to head over to Professor Oak's lab soon, and I thought it was important for you to know, and maybe come as well," she said. "Oh, and maybe you should bring Misty, Ethan and Claire along as well? I'm sure they'd like to come by."

"I'll definitely be there, mom, and I'll make sure to ask them," I nodded. "Thanks for calling, and take care."

"You too, honey. I'll see you later!" she cheerfully answered, and the call was ended.

I went down the stairs to the kitchen with mixed emotions of relief and anxiety. Misty, seeing my troubled expression, looked up from the dining table and spoke to me. "Ash, honey, is there something wrong?"

"Not exactly, Mist," I replied. "Mom just called. She told me that Jessie, James and Meowth came back from Team Rocket's HQ, and they brought their entire family with them to her and dad's house. Seems like they escaped."

"Well, I'm glad they're alright, at least," she sighed. "Did she say anything else?"

"She said that we should all come by to Professor Oak's lab soon, so that we can talk to them. They're still exhausted right now because they arrived at close to 3am."

"That seems to be the best thing to do," Misty nodded, then looked down at our two children. "Do you guys wanna go to Pallet Town and see Belle and Demetry again?"

"Yes, mommy!" Claire smiled broadly, while her brother made a slight, barely noticeable smile of his own.

"Great! We'll leave in about an hour, so get ready after finishing breakfast!" Misty grinned.

(A few hours later, at Pallet Town)

"Charizard, Pidgeot, return!" I called after putting Ethan down on the ground, recalling my two flying Pokémon after we landed in front of Professor Oak's lab. We left behind Torterra, Garchomp, Golduck, Starmie and Glalie to guard the house while we were gone.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!"

"Squirtle, squirt!" my two old friends happily greeted us.

"Hey, guys, is everyone inside?" I asked, slightly bending my knees as they ran over to me and gave me a hug.

"Bulba!"

"Squirt!" they both nodded.

"Thanks, you two, we've missed you as well!" Misty smiled, stroking both Pokémon on their faces as they cooed with pleasure.

"We'll see you guys again when we come out!" I waved at them as we entered the lab.

"Mom, Professor, we're here!" Misty called out after we opened the door.

"We're up here, honey!" Mom answered back from upstairs. We climbed up the staircase to see everyone seated on the sofas and chairs in the lobby. "How have you been, my dears?"

"Pretty good, mom," I replied, then looked towards the sofa where Jessie, James and Meowth were sitting alongside an older woman. I noticed that the trio were no longer wearing their uniforms, but normal clothing which was most likely given to them by Mom and Dad. "Hi, guys. Good to see that you're safe. Hey Jess, is that…your mother you told me about?"

Jessie nodded. "Yeah, Ash. This is my mother, Miyamoto."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ash," Miyamoto greeted me warmly.

My eye then suddenly caught sight of Domino, who was standing behind her. "Hey! Isn't that…what's she doing here?"

"Oh, I'm really sorry to surprise you like this," she replied, then looked at Miyamoto and Jessie. "My real name is Julia. This is my mother, and Jessie's my sister."

I stared in silence, needing a while to process all the sudden information before speaking again. "So…does this mean that…"

Julia nodded. "That's right. I've left Team Rocket behind me now. All of us have," she said, looking across from her mother to Jessie.

"Burned our uniforms, as well," Jessie puffed as she crossed her arms. "I never want to see those dreadful things ever again, for as long as I live!"

"Me too!" Meowth chimed.

"Meowth, you never wore a uniform in the first place," James nudged him on the back of the head.

"Oh…Yeah…Dat's right!" Meowth admitted with a grin as we all chuckled.

"I…uhh…" Julia stammered, looking down at the floor before summoning up the courage to look at me and Misty in the eye. "I feel as if I have to apologise for everything I had ever done to you while I was part of Team Rocket. I realize that I've caused you a lot of discomfort and danger, and I'm sorry about it."

"Don't mention it, Julia. That was in the past, after all," Misty smiled. "But, umm…how did you remember anything about that? Considering that your memory about that incident was wiped by…"

"Jessie told me about it while we were here, waiting for you," Julia explained. "To be honest with you, having a mother and sister all of a sudden, after being alone ever since I was born is quite new and strange to me. I'm still…getting used to it."

"Oh, don't worry about it, dear," James' mother assured her. "I'm sure you're a great daughter and sister as it is."

"Come on, you two, why don't you have a seat?" Professor Oak gestured towards two empty seats in front of the lobby table.

"Go on, you two, why don't you play with Belle and Demetry?" Misty leaned down and said to Claire and Ethan. Claire enthusiastically ran off as she was joined by Belle, Demetry, Pikachu and Marill, while Ethan slowly walked along with them, a rather reluctant look on his face. We then sat down on our seats and continued our conversation.

"Now, I want you all to stay calm as I'm about to say this, because from what I've seen while I was still working for Team Rocket, the regional security forces are quite well-prepared," Julia said as we all paid attention to her. "What I have to say is that Team Rocket's satellite launch will take place in just two days."

Everyone except Julia, Miyamoto, Jessie, James and Meowth looked slightly unnerved by the news, but still remained composed.

"So that means that your call to Ash contained only false information?" Misty turned to Jessie with calm eyes.

"Yes. I'm really sorry, but what could I have done? The grunts were holding a gun to everyone's head, and spies were lurking outside our mansion!" Jessie explained.

"It's alright, Jess. I contacted Lance straight after I received your call. I told him that you sounded a bit strange, and he said to me that they're planning on going ahead with the attack on Team Rocket's HQ by the actual date of the satellite launch. He's told everyone involved with the operation to act as if they'd fallen for Giovanni's ruse, but he's assured me that preparations are almost complete. Everything should be fine," I told her.

"Strange. I never knew that Ashy-boy could ever be so reliable!" Gary smirked as I simply rolled my eyes at him. Tracey, standing beside Gary, simply chuckled at us.

"Nevertheless, I think we should carefully plan our moves before we go back there," Julia noted. "You'll need our help if you're planning on organizing a proper attack on the place with the regional authorities. After all, we know the layout of the entire HQ."

"You're right, darling. The five of us should lead the operation," Miyamoto agreed.

"Mom, as much as I appreciate your help, I think maybe you should stay here," Jessie placed her hand over her mother's. "I'm afraid that something might happen, and you've only been able to escape from Team Rocket just yesterday. Please, don't go…"

Miyamoto then firmly held her daughter's hand in her own. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be fine. I promise you that. And besides, I'm not going to just sit around here while my daughter's life is at stake, am I?"

Jessie looked at her mother's eyes with slight fear, before placing her trust in her and giving her a hug. "Okay. We'll go together."

"As much as I'd like to join you, Ash, I'm afraid I'm too old, now," Professor Oak said. "I can only wish you the best of luck."

"I'm sorry, honey, but I'm afraid that I…can't go with you, either," Mom sighed, looking down in disappointment. "As much as I want Team Rocket to be stopped, I just can't find it in myself to fight Giovanni…"

"I'm afraid it's the same with me," Dad looked at me. "You must understand Ash. Giovanni may have turned to a life of evil, but he was a very important friend to the both of us."

"I understand, dad," I replied with disappointment. I was really counting on their help…

After spending a few hours in Pallet Town, we returned to our home in the Seafoam Islands in the same way that we came, our Pokémon greeting us enthusiastically upon our arrival.

"So, Ash, when are you going to tell Lance about what we've been told by Julia?" Misty asked me after we entered the house and got Claire and Ethan to have a short nap.

"I've already called him while we were out with all our Pokémon outside the lab," I said, sitting on the sofa in the living room as Misty joined me. "He said to me that they were planning to take Team Rocket by surprise with an early attack, but then I told him that it's important to let Jessie, James, Meowth, Miyamoto and Julia be properly rested, because we need their help. He was quite reluctant, but he's agreed to carry out the assault on Team Rocket HQ tomorrow at the latest, in the afternoon."

"Tomorrow?" Misty placed her hand over her heart in nervousness. "But that's…so soon…"

"I spoke to Mom right after I called Lance. She said that it's best that we drop off Claire and Ethan with her and Dad tomorrow, and that she'll tell the others – including Brock and Sabrina – about Lance's message."

"I just…hope that nothing bad happens to any of us…" Misty whispered, leaning her head into my chest.

I pressed my cheek gently against her temple as I held her in my arms, kissing her softly on her forehead. "So do I, Mist…so do I."

(End of Chapter 13)

A/N: I might consider giving James' parents proper names from now on, instead of just calling them 'James' parents' like in the anime, which actually doesn't have names for them (in the English dub, anyway). I'm thinking maybe 'Henry' for James' father, and 'Eva' for his mother. I was considering 'Fonda' for her name, so that her and James' father's names combined is 'Henry Fonda', in the style of Jessie and James' names being a reference to 'Jesse James', but decided against it.

The next chapter should be the last in this story, and the Epilogue chapter will follow that.

Please leave your reviews. : )