Episode 44: For the Love of Joy

Jessie, James, and Meowth are in the streets of a city. They are dressed in civilian disguises. James wears brown blazer with a bowtie and hat, Jessie is dressed in a yellow blouse and pants. Meowth is dressed in a suit and wearing a black wig. Jessie ask Meowth, "Are you sure this is going to work?"

Meowth nods. "I'd bet my nine lives on it! This has to work. The twerps will be coming into this town in no time now, and that gives us the perfect opportunity."

James nods. He asks, "What do you think Mime Jr.?" There's no response. "Mime Jr.!?" James frantically looks around to find Mime Jr. on the ground. It looks very weak. James runs over to it and picks it up. "Mime Jr., are you alright?"

It says weakly, "Mime…"

James cries in despair, "Mime Jr.!"

Meowth comments, "It looks like Mime Jr. is pretty sick."

"Don't worry Mime Jr., I'll get you to a Pokémon Center, pronto."

Jessie declares, "Hold it right there, the twerps will be here any…" She trails off as James runs away, not paying her any heed. She sighs and turns to follow James.

Meowth grumbles something about a missed opportunity under his breath as he too follows.

Ash, Brock, and Brenda are walking through a city, on the very same street that Team Rocket just was. Today our heroes have made it to Nebulous City. With a new town, comes a new Pokémon Center, and for a certain one of our heroes, that's a big deal.

Brock exclaims, "I can't believe we're in Nebulous City!"

Brenda asks, "I don't get it, what's the big deal about Nebulous City?"

Brock is taken aback. "Have you not heard of Nebulous City's Nurse Joy!?" He pulls out a magazine. "According to Nurse Joy Monthly, she's most beautiful of all the Nurse Joys in Tenno." Brock goes into a dreamlike state thinking about her.

Ash looks at the picture in the magazine and tilts her head in confusion. "She just looks like all the other Nurse Joys to me."

Brock chuckles. "My dear Ash, that's because you haven't matured enough to recognize the divine beauty that this Nurse Joy represents. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to the Pokémon Center and offer my services as a travelling Pokémon Doctor."

Brenda points out, "So you mean you're going to go and try to go flirt with Nurse Joy?"

Brock grins. "Of course I am!" He runs off. He suddenly stops, and runs back. He asks, "Would you mind holding on to this for me?" He forcefully shoves a Pokéball into Ash's hands. "Thanks, bye!" He runs off again, making a beeline for the Pokémon Center.

Ash asks, "What's this?"

Brenda looks at it. "I think it's Meteorfight's Pokéball."

Ash nods in understanding. He then asks, "So what do we do now?"

Brenda shrugs. "I heard there's a place for trainers to challenge other trainers to battles here. Want to check it out?"

Ash grins. "Of course I do! Let's go!"

A Nurse Joy steps out from a room behind her desk holding Mime Jr. in her arms. James, still in disguise, leaps up from a chair and runs over to her. "Nurse Joy, how is Mime Jr.?"

Nurse Joy smiles. "Don't worry, your Mime Jr. is all better."

James take Mime Jr. from her and hugs it. "Oh Mime Jr., I'm so glad you're okay."

Mime Jr. happily declares, "Mime mime mime!"

James looks up to Nurse Joy's face for the first time, his attention having previously been on Mime Jr. He is suddenly overcome with emotion. He says, "Thank you so much Nurse Joy. If there is anything, anything at all, I can do to repay you, please just tell me."

She grins. "You don't have to anything. I'm just doing my job. Besides, helping Pokémon out is a reward in of itself."

James nods. "I know exactly what you mean. Thank you so much." Reluctantly, he turns to leave.

As he leaves, Brock comes out from the back. He's now dressed in his doctor's coat. Upon seeing Nurse Joy, his entire demeanor changes. He calls out, "Oh Nurse Joy! I just finished administering the check-ups. All the Pokémon are doing just fine."

Nurse Joy turns around and grins at him. "Thank you Brock, you're a real life saver. I would have been way too busy all day if I was by myself."

Brock gets goofily happy when he hears Nurse Joy's compliment. "Just doing my job…"

James approaches Jessie and Meowth, who are back in their uniforms. He appears to be lost in a dreamlike state of thought. Jessie says with some annoyance, "Finally you're back. Now we can get to work." James makes no response. Jessie and Meowth look to each other with confusion.

Meowth waves his hand in front of James. "Hello? Earth to James. Are you there?"

James snaps out of it. "Sorry, I was just thinking about someone – I mean something. Yeah, that's it. I was thinking about something."

Jessie says, "Well, I can see Mime Jr. is better, so it's time to get down to work."

James nods. "Right. Work."

Meowth explains, "The Twerp and his Pikachu are currently doing some battling at the local battle ground. This provides us with the perfect opportunity to swoop in and snag the little yellow rodent."

Jessie says, "So get out of those silly peasant clothes and let's catch us a Pikachu."

Ash and Pikachu are in the middle of a battle with a trainer using a Nidorina. He orders, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Before Pikachu can begin its attack, Team Rocket dives down from the sky and lands between the battling Pokémon. Jessie declares, "Prepare for trouble!"

James doesn't seem to have his head fully in the game, but he manages to say, "And make it double…"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation…"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

With that line, James seems to realize something. He stammers, "L…love?" He suddenly says, "Sorry guys, but I've got to go do something! It's important!" He runs off, leaving Jessie posing awkwardly alone in mid-motto.

Ash asks, "What's going on?"

Jessie says angrily, "That's exactly what I'd like to know."

Meowth jumps and declares, "We're sorry, but we're experiencing technical difficulties. We'll be back with the full Team Rocket Motto experience later." He and Jessie then run off after James.

Ash shakes his head in utter confusion. He looks to Pikachu for an answer, who just shrugs back in equal confusion.

After running a little, Jessie stops and asks, "Where did he go?"

Meowth says, "I don't know, he could be anywhere."

Who's that Pokémon!?

Its drill-tipped tail is used to burrow into the ground backwards. This Pokémon is known to make its nest in complex shapes deep under the ground.

Brock and Nurse Joy are standing on either side of a Bellsprout's hospital bed. Nurse Joy asks, "What's your diagnosis Doctor Brock?"

Brock looks the Pokémon over carefully. It appears weak, limp, and somewhat pale in color. "I would say it's a photo-deficiency, this Bellsprout hasn't been taking in nearly as much sunlight as it should."

Nurse Joy nods. "I concur. Let's get it under some artificial sunlight right away."

Brock is pushing a cart towards the bed. "I'm way ahead of you." He takes points a lamp on top of the cart at the Bellsprout and then turns it on. The Pokémon is now covered in light.

Nurse Joy grins. "Wow Brock, I've had travelling Pokémon Doctors come by and offer their assistance before, but never have any of them been nearly as knowledgeable or helpful as you."

Brock grins goofily. "I do my best to impress…" He stops to consider something for a moment. He then asks, "Nurse Joy?"

"Yes Brock."

"How about you and I get something to eat tonight after work? My treat."

She grins. "I think that sounds great. Thank you Brock." She looks at some papers on a clipboard. "But first, would you be kind enough to take a look at the next Pokémon? I'll go back to the front and tell this Bellsprout's trainer that everything is going to be fine with it."

Brock nods. "Of course I will." He turns around to get back to work. Nurse Joy walks back out to the reception area.

Once she's out, she notices that James, back in his civilian disguise, is back. She smiles at him. "Back so soon are you? I hope your Mime Jr. isn't sick again."

James shakes his head. He says nervously "No, of course not. I was just…um…I just needed a place to take a break. That's okay, right?"

Nurse Joy smiles at him. "Pokémon Centers are always open to people like you who need a place to stay. Have a nice day, sir." She turns around and walks away.

James sighs with content. He says to himself, "Nurse Joy…" He looks to Mime Jr., who is sitting next to him, mimicking his satisfaction. "Isn't she great Mime Jr.?"

Mime Jr. nods. "Mime mime."

James then thinks of something and sighs. "I suppose we should be getting back to Jessie and Meowth. They're probably furious that I ran out on them. And making Jessie mad is certainly a big no-no." He gets up to leave.

It's Dunsparce!

James is back in his uniform. He approaches Jessie and Meowth. Jessie asks with rage, "And where have you been!?"

Meowth says with annoyance, "Yeah, we've been looking all over for you. Why'd you bail on us mid-motto?"

"You made us look like fools!"

Meowth adds snidely, "Even bigger fools than normal, she means to say."

James answers nervously, "I…uh…I was…I was at the Pokémon Center…"

They both demand, "Why were you at the Pokémon Center!?"

"Well…um…you see…it was…um…" He suddenly exclaims, "It was Mime Jr.! Mime Jr got sick again! That's why I was there."

Meowth examines Mime Jr. closely. "It sure don't look sick to me."

James begins to panic. "One moment please!" He takes Mime Jr. and runs behind a nearby tree. He bends over and whispers to Mime Jr., "My precious Mime Jr., could you please do me a big favor and pretend to be sick? I can't tell Jessie and Meowth why I was actually over there."

Mime Jr. nods in affirmation. It then collapses and begins act like its sick, a little overdramatically.

James runs back over to them and shows them Mime Jr. "You see, very sick."

Mime Jr. puts the back of its hand to its forehead and moans, "Mime, mime! Mime, mime!"

Meowth nods dubiously. "Alright…if you say so."

James explains, "So you see, Nurse Joy told me that we're going to have to stay in town for a while…the treatments for Mime Jr. will be periodic…so we can't leave here anytime soon, alright?"

Jessie sighs with annoyance. "Fine, we'll stay here. But if the twerps get away from us, I blame you."

James bows with thanks. "I understand. Thank you so much."

Then comes a montage of scenes, mainly of James and Brock. First James returns to the Pokémon Center with Mime Jr. again. He happily greets Nurse Joy, who greets him back. James blushes.

Then Brock and Nurse Joy work together to heal an injured Axew. At one point, their hands brush each other. Now Brock blushes.

Later, James gets up from one of the couches in the center and holds a door open for Nurse Joy. She thanks him.

That night, Brock and Nurse Joy have their dinner. They're laughing about something.

The next day, Jessie and Meowth are explaining a plan to James. James seems to not be listening, as his thoughts are elsewhere. Without saying anything, he suddenly gets up and leaves. Jessie and Meowth stare in confusion.

Brock is back on the job. This time he and Blissey impress Nurse Joy by repairing a Marowak's broken bone club.

James is once again in the Pokémon Center. He's enjoying a chat with Nurse Joy. She laughs at something he says and he blushes again.

While James is in the Pokémon Center, Jessie and Meowth are moving on with their plans without him. As is evident by the fact that the two of them, along with Wobbuffet, are sent blasting off without James.

When they land on the ground, it's right next to James. He offers them an apology and bows. He then points to Mime Jr., who is still acting sick, and then runs off, back to the Pokémon Center.

James and Nurse Joy are having another chat. Nurse Joy comments, "You sure are an interesting man, James. I've had a lot of fun talking with you. You've made my day here a lot more enjoyable."

James grins giddily. "I'm so glad you think that. I've enjoyed talking to you too, Nurse Joy." He looks up to a nearby clock and sighs. "I suppose I should be off. My friends are probably worried about me."

Nurse Joy nods. "Will you be returning tomorrow?"

James nods. "You can count on it. I'll see you tomorrow."

Nurse Joy grins. "It's a date." She turns to leave.

James gets excited upon hearing her call it a date. In a state of euphoria, he leaves the center. As exits the door, his hat gets knocked off, but he doesn't seem to notice.

Brock just happens to be walking by when that happens, and he notices. He picks up the hat and walks outside, calling, "Sir, you left your hat!" He suddenly comes to a halt when he sees James removing his disguise, revealing his Team Rocket uniform. Brock stops and gasps. He then gets into a ready stance and pulls out a Pokéball. He demands, "What are you doing here!?"

James freezes up turns around to see Brock. "Tall Twerp! It's not what it looks like, I swear!"

"You and Team Rocket are trying to steal the Pokémon Center's Pokémon, aren't you!? Well I'll have you know there's a very lovely woman in there, and I will do anything to protect her."

James panics, and Mime Jr. mimics his panic. "No, please, I swear it's nothing like that. I'm not here on Team Rocket business…it's personal…you see…there's this girl…"

Brock suddenly calms down. "A girl?"

James nods. "Yes, an amazing girl. I'm certain I'm in love with her, and I just want to see her. That's the reason I'm here. I swear."

"You should have just told me. I understand that perfectly. In fact, I'm in a very similar situation."

"Really?" He stops to think. "Hey, you know a lot about women, don't you?"

Brock nods. He says with fake modesty, "I don't mean to brag, but I'm a bit of an expert."

James nods. "Do you think you could give me some advice then? From one love-struck heart to another?"

Brock nods. He proclaims dramatically, "We may be enemies in the field of battle, but in the field of love, we are all united! What's your problem?"

"You see, I may be in love with her, but I'm just not sure how she feels about me. She's given me compliments, and she certainly likes me, but I don't know if she likes me. What should I do?"

Brock nods in understanding. "Yes, the problem you face is a problem that has plagued men since the beginning of time. There is only one thing you can do. You have to confess your feelings. It's the only way you'll ever know what the girl feels about you."

"Confess…my feelings…?"

"Yes, it is the only thing you can do."

James nods in determination. Suddenly fired up, he declares, "Yes, you're right. I have to confess my feelings. I'm going to do that right now." He throws back on his disguise.

Brock cheers, "That's the ticket! And you know what, you've inspired me. I too will confess my feeling to the one I love!"

And with that, they both run back into the Pokémon Center. They both run up to Nurse Joy at once and both say, "Nurse Joy, there's something I have to tell you! I…" They trail off and look at each other as they realize what's happening.

Nurse Joy looks at them with confusion. "James? Brock? What's going on?"

Brock looks to her and says, "Pardon us for a moment please." He and James then dash back outside. They both begin to laugh. Brock says, "There must be some sort of mistake here," as he laughs.

James agrees, "Certainly. A mistake for sure."

They then both laugh at once, "I thought you were going to confess your love to Nurse Joy!"

They freeze up as they realize what has been said. Suddenly, all of the comradery they had a moment ago is gone. James accuses, "I thought you had my back! You said we're all united in the field of love!"

"That was before I knew you were in love with Nurse Joy! In case you didn't know, falling in love with Nurse Joy is my thing!"

James accuses, "You only care about her because of her looks! I love her because she is a kindhearted and caring person! She helped my Mime Jr. when I had nowhere else to turn!"

Brock shouts, "You take that back! I most certainly do not love her only for her looks!"

James then suggests, "I believe there's only one way for us to settle this."

Brock nods. "Agreed." They both pull out Pokéballs and throw them. James lets out Haking, and Brock sends out Blissey. Brock states, "Standard honor battle rules. Winner gets to admit their love, loser leaves."

James nods. "Agreed."

Brock makes the first move. "Blissey, use Mega Punch!"

"Haking, use Tackle!" The two Pokémon collide midfield, knocking each back. "Use Sludge Bomb!"

"Intercept with Egg Bomb!" Both Pokémon launch their attacks, which once again collide, causing an explosion in between them.

The smoke has barely cleared, and Brock shouts, "Strength, now!" Blissey uses the remains of the smoke to cover its entry, and grabs a hold of Haking.

James exclaims, "Haking, oh no!"

Once Blissey has a hold of it, it leaps into the air and hurls Haking to the ground.

"There's no way we're taking that! Use Smoke Screen Haking!" Haking covers the surroundings in smoke, making it impossible to see. "Great, now barrage it with Sludge Bomb!"

Blissey can be heard crying out, "Bliss!" in pain.

"Blissey, no!"

James grins. "Great job Haking, now go in for another Tackle!"

"Get ready for it Blissey, as soon as you sense Haking, use Secret Power!" A bright light suddenly shines through the smoke, as Blissey attacks with its Secret Power. Haking is hit by the attack and ejected out of the smoke cloud. The smoke begins to clear.

James declares, "We can't lose this. We won't lose this!"

Brock declares back, "And neither will we!"

"Straight down Haking! Use Tackle!"

"Leap up and use Mega Punch Blissey!" Haking comes plummeting down, while Blissey lunges upwards. The two meet half way, both hitting each other. Both Pokémon then fall to the floor, knocked out.

Brock and James look to each other awkwardly for a moment. James finally asks, "What do we do now…?"

Brock declares, "There's only one option left. We both tell Nurse Joy how we feel, and we let her chose. The other has to respect this choice."

James nods. "I agree to that." They both recall their Pokémon. With no warning, they both make a mad dash for the Pokémon Center.

Nurse Joy looks up to see them coming in. "Oh, there you two are. I was getting worried."

They both say at once, "Nurse Joy, we have something to tell you."

Nurse Joy smiles. "That's great, but first, I'd like to introduce you to someone. Brock, James, this is Richard." A handsome man walks up from behind Nurse Joy. "He's my boyfriend."

James and Brock both freeze up. They go through a traumatic experience of heartbreak. They declare at once, "Boyfriend…!?" Their entire world seems to fall apart.

Nurse Joy says to Richard, "Brock has been such a great help around here the past two days. And James has been a pleasure to talk to."

Richard extends a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you two. Any friend of Joy's is a friend of mine." But before he can even finish saying that, Brock and James have run off. He asks in confusion, "Was it something I said?"

Both stop once they make it out of the Pokémon Center. They look at each other silently for a few moments. Finally Bock breaks the silence by saying, "This never happened."

James nods. "What happened? I don't remember anything happening."

"Neither do I."

Then Ash and Brenda approach them from one side, and Jessie and Meowth from the other. Both groups point at each other and demand, "What are you doing here!?" They then see that Brock and James are together and demand, "Why are you with him!?"

Brock quickly comes up with an explanation and explains awkwardly, "Well…you see…James here was just…trying to steal my Pokémon."

James nods fervently. "Yeah, that's what I was trying to do. Definitely what I was trying to do. Nurse Joy had nothing to do with it."

Ash nods skeptically. "Okay then… Do you want Pikachu to use Thunderbolt to get rid of them?"

James quickly shouts, "No, no! That's not necessary at all, Tall Twerp here has already taught me my lesson. I'm done. We're leaving now."

Jessie says, "Wait a second, we're standing here with the twerps, and we're not even going to try to steal Pikachu?"

James grabs them both by the arms and pulls. "Yes, there's no need for that now. Let's get out of here." And with that, he runs off with Jessie and Meowth in tow, both of them very confused.

As they're walking away, Ash asks, "Is something wrong Brock? You seem awfully upset."

Brenda adds, "Yeah, and it looked like you ran out of the Pokémon Center with James. What was going on in there?"

Brock swears, "I'll never talk about this day again…"

Brenda teases knowingly, "Did something go wrong with Nurse Joy?"

Brock freezes at first, and then ignores the tease.

Today both Brock and James learned a valuable lesson about love. Maybe they also learned something about each other in the process…though that seems unlikely. However, I can't help but feel like something's missing…

Brock speaks up, "At least I've managed to go these past two days without an uppercut from Meteorfight." Just as he finishes saying that, an uppercut is delivered to him by Meteorfight.

Meteorfight nods with satisfaction that its job is finally done. "Meteor."

Brenda is shown holding a Pokéball with her finger on the button. She feigns innocence, "Oops, did I press that button by accident? Clumsy me." She giggles.

Collapsed on the ground, Brock says weakly, "I regret nothing…"

Ah, that's better. Stay tuned.

To Be Continued…