Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with a new chapter. Well, technically it's Thursday now because it's after midnight where I am but I started reading through this on time! I put Dark Shadows on in the background to upload but ended up getting absorbed in it. But this chapter is here now! And I enjoyed writing this one. I wrote it during my Pirates of The Caribbean enthusiastic weeks a little bit ago and Captain Jack and Elizabeth's interactions have always reminded me of James and Misty so I came up with this! In my stories, while Ash is travelling Kalos, he and Misty become boyfriend and girlfriend and this takes place then. And it takes place in the middle of a Team Rocket scheme! I hope you enjoy :P
Ages:
James: 23
Misty: 16
Ash: 16
Jessie: 23
Disclaimer: I own the story and the OCs mentioned!
Up until that moment in time, there had been a lot of chatter indeed. There had been bickering. There had been negotiating. There had just been plain old snarking. And all of these were coming from the orange haired female! However as nightfall hit and everybody in the camp got settled into bed, she quietened down with me close to her side and she let out a sigh. Her silence said everything and the male knew this. The lavender haired male knew this. That was why he let out his own quiet sigh and brushed his hair from his eyes and gingerly poked open her tent with his fingers.
"…Is everything alright in there?" James of Team Rocket asked almost hesitantly and as I lifted my head up from resting on Misty's lap, I couldn't help but notice that he was parting the flaps of the tent as if he was pushing apart the tentacles of some horrific sea beast. He appeared very on edge. Yet he continued. "You know… "Mist"…"
The orange haired female's head snapped towards the lavender haired male. It was just that word that did it. It was just that word and that word alone and I believed that James knew it. Misty stopped slumping in the corner of her tent with me and she sat further upright, her brow knotting together in a stubborn way. She held up a single finger to warn the older male but she didn't raise her voice.
"Don't even, James." She told him and though the Team Rocket member recoiled in facial expression and in his eyes, his body didn't move an inch. He remained on the other side of the tent – outside and sitting on his own sleeping bag – and parting the overlap with his hands. Perhaps because James didn't respond with words – he didn't utter an apology at calling her Ash's name for her or mustered up any sass back – the orange haired female lost all sense of gusto and flopped back against the thin wall of the tent.
Her hand went to the top of my head and didn't say anymore. And I knew that it was her own silence that caused James to talk to her once more. He leaned further in through the tent but didn't cross a line.
"Seriously, Misty…" the lavender haired male with the "R" upon his shirt tried again and in the process, he received a wordless glance from the orange haired female and he understood that she was making sure that he didn't cut a single letter off her name that time. James just gave her a silent glance back and didn't let it put him off, pushing his hair from his eyes. He tilted his head and you could tell he was being somewhat sincere. "Is everything okay in here?"
The orange haired female drew breath and she looked down at me as my red cheek still rested on her lap and I remained as close to her as ever. Her hand remained on the top of my head. We shared a glance. Was everything okay? Well, I guess that it just had to be okay that following one of Jessie, James and Meowth's typical schemes and a battle that took place between our gang and theirs, Misty had been blasted away from visiting her boyfriend Ash in Kalos and landed with the three conniving villains!
The lavender haired male, the magenta haired female and the cream coloured cat Pokémon had all set up camp and the longer that time passed and the more that they didn't let on to what they were planning, it became all the more obvious that they were planning on using us both as bait against Ash for some reason or another. I couldn't believe them. I couldn't believe them at all. I could and I couldn't.
Misty continued being as silent as I was as I did my thinking and I wondered if she was doing the same when I saw she was looking down at her lap rather than me. She pulled her legs closer to her chest, playing with a loose hem on her shorts.
Despite the job that he was in, James Morgan was not a stupid man. In fact, perhaps it was one of my highest compliments towards him to say that he couldn't be further from being a stupid man. He knew that when a person was quiet rather than bickering or spitting or even yelling, then it was a far graver and more worrying thing.
The lavender haired male couldn't help but poke himself further into the tent. Instinctively, Misty rolled her eyes and pulled me and her legs to her chest in one in the process. James wasn't put off. He made a bit of a joke about it and pretended to push his hair out of his eyes in a smug fashion but anyone could tell that he disliked being outside the tent and on guard less than she did.
"I've become a changed man in recent years, Misty, and even I don't find it too mortifying to admit that I have a reliable sense when it comes to fetching female creatures." James began once more and if the pale skinned female could have rolled her eyes any harder then they would have popped out of her eye sockets and rolled across the floor! The lavender haired male didn't show off a smug smile. The glint in his eyes was doing that for him. He continued in a joking way. "You are… You're a pretty decent female creature. I know something is bothering you. Truly. So what is it? I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let you suffer in silence."
That look got shot towards the male rocketeer once more at that moment but that time, it was a bit different. I noticed this as I sat up myself and rested my cheek against Misty's arm instead. The look was a lot briefer but it was telling nonetheless. Without saying a word, the water Pokémon enthusiast told James that he was neither gentle nor manly. And without saying a word also, he looked down as if he heard words clear as day and looked rather wounded.
The orange haired female sighed yet again. She never meant to hurt anybody's feelings. She never even meant to hurt any Team Rocket member's feelings. She slumped back against the thin wall of the tent and pushed her bangs from her eyes at the same time that James looked up. Maybe she knew that he was just trying to make her laugh and he actually was checking in on her. She had always been good at reading people. And she had always been good at reading people who were hard to fathom out.
So in that moment – though Misty continued leaning against the corner of the tent and quite far away from the man with the "R" on his chest - she admitted to him while playing with a thread she pulled off her shorts and rolling it between her fingers.
"I just am normally up close with Ash around this time…" she mumbled and she glanced at the wall as if she was looking at a clock – or looking for her raven haired boyfriend – before shaking her head at herself and looking down at where her fingers were rolling that material. Misty found herself adding, continuing to shake her head. "Around this time it's just what we do… And I miss it."
The younger female concluded, a light rosy blush taking over her pale cheeks at being so honest with the lavender haired female and thankfully for her, I don't think she noticed the uncomfortable (albeit comical) look that was taking over James' face. His orbs widened so much that you could see the glossy whites of his eyes and they darted around, unsure what to say.
However as a light frown started to take over Misty's face all over again and along with the lingering blush, the lavender haired male was starting to know what to say. Or rather, he was starting to know what to do. He took a chance and he took a chance by crossing a figurative line and then he crossed a literal line. He stopped sitting on the top of his sleeping back and in the moonlight and clambered in through the tent.
Automatically, Misty groaned but he proved that he was potentially a gentleman by holding his hands up respectfully and saying across the way from her. The orange haired female remained cautious and I did too and both our raised eyebrows showed this. But James persisted. With yet another comical air yet one that wasn't too obvious, he gave her a smile. He gave her a smile and a shrug and then he had a response for her.
"You know, Misty… They don't call me the softest member in Team Rocket for nothing you know." He told her while taking his gloves off and then proceeded to waggle his fingers and grin. I caught on straight away but my good friend didn't. Her sceptical expression faded away to one of pure confusion and then James explained. He didn't move closer to her. He just waggled his gloveless fingers all the more. "I would be quite willing to extend our truce to this campsite and give you a hug for your troubles."
I glanced over at Misty, inwardly curious of how she was going to react. I understood more than anybody that her dislike for the lavender haired male was a little bit of an act and actually when they had to be in close proximity to each other, they got on rather well. And despite the fact that he was in a villainous group, he was oddly harmless also.
Nothing could have prepared me for the abruptness of her answer. Without missing a beat at all, she looked right back at the lavender haired male and responded to his words. She didn't even need to shake her head.
"No thank you." She told him and with that, she stopped stooping in the corner of the tent and shuffled on her bottom, reaching for the pillow and occupying her fingers by pummelling it into a comfy shape instead.
And in the exact same way as it had been with her, nothing could have prepared me for his response either. He laughed! James laughed in such an unoffended and amused way that it almost tickled me as well. He pushed his hair from his eyes in between his shoulders shaking and then after Misty (admirably) remained blank-faced; he pulled himself together and titled his head towards the younger female.
"C'mon, why not? We are very alike you know. You and me. Me and you. Us. Peas in a pod, really." James uttered and as I stayed put in the corner of the tent and in an on-guard way to contrast my nearing snicker, I found myself raising a curious eyebrow over at him all the more. One just had to wonder if he was still teasing the younger person or he was buying time so his team mates could do something extra conniving - or he was up to something else entirely.
Nevertheless, Misty didn't seem too suspicious. Granted, she found his words to be surprising ones and she furrowed her brow in confusion but she took them for what they were, rather than reading into his reasons behind them. She put her pillow down on her lap and folded her arms over her chest, her chin sticking out abruptly. All friendliness towards the softest Team Rocket member had faded away ever since he was in on his team mate's plans of using her or me or both of us for ransom. She sneered like no one had ever done before.
"Oh, you mean apart from decency and ability to tell the difference between right and wrong and not associating myself with a despicable organisation?" Misty came out with in such a level tone that they caused even my throat to hitch in surprise. James' eyes widened. The orange haired female merely continued with yet another eye roll. I didn't think that she was doing any damage control. "I suppose we do favour a crop top here and there so maybe we are alike."
"Hey." The lavender haired male interjected and while Misty had been saying the scathing part of her words then he had managed to keep his cool. But when she agreed with him after insulting him? He couldn't keep it in any longer. James was the passive type to be sure but when it came to something that he believed in then he could be quite confident and assertive. He gave Misty a look – almost with the same power as all of her ones. He didn't necessarily seem offended. He just believed that she was being blinkered. He edged a fraction closer to her while she blinked.
"It could have just as easily have been you, you know, so I'll thank you kindly to get down from your high horse." The man with the "R" upon his chest uttered in a quiet yet unmoving way and with the same look in his eyes while Misty's brow furrowed and she played with the edge of the pillow. She didn't look at me. She was half waiting for James to break into a grin and him to assure her that he was joking. He didn't do this. He proved that they had gotten to know each other slowly but surely in moments that they had to share together. "I ran away from my parents. You ran away from your sisters. If you fell in love while in the organisation then you would stick it out as long as I have; believe you me."
Admirably, the orange haired female remained looking at James though I could sense her silently swallowing and wanting to look down at the pillow on her lap. It was true that Misty could be a brash and ballsy and stubborn young woman but she couldn't be further from being a hypocrite. And she tried her hardest not to judge. But she judged the lavender haired male and knew that it was wrong. Especially with how similar their home lives actually were.
Misty's cheeks flushed out of habit but proving her growth in recent years, she muttered an apology. The lavender haired male just nodded and played with his strand. I got the impression that he really hadn't intended to scold her; he just merely wanted her to consider another side. But he knew that it took a lot for her to apologise so he was grateful when he received that. He didn't need to say anything else. But she did. Misty did. And she edged closer to the older male herself.
"You could get out any time you want now though, couldn't you? You've watched me and Ash get over ourselves and tell each other how we really felt and ended up a couple. But you're still doing the same old." The water Pokémon enthusiast told the lavender haired male and her hand stopped stroking the corner of the pillow and reached out to cup my cheek. I saw the way that both Misty and James shared a look and the former was reminded that things had moved forward for him too. The orange haired female smiled absentmindedly and almost in an apologetic way for previous words. "Alright. You and Jessie are together now and Meowth is the third wheel. But seriously, James. I know your heart has been out of Team Rocket for a long time and is occupied by something – someone – else. So why not get over yourself? All of you?"
I was reminded then and there that it was true that Misty and I were alike but we were worlds apart in other areas too. After all, we had been physically worlds apart for many years. She had grown. I had grown. But we had grown separately.
I believed that time away from journeying and knuckling down at the gym and the distance from her old life made her understand it more. She understood the people more in that way. And oddly, the Team Rocket trio were a bunch of creatures that occupied her thoughts while she was doing her own thing in the Cerulean Gym.
Deep in her heart, she knew that they were not as villainous in their own hearts as the organisation that they were in. Sure, they had a weird obsession with me but soon enough she figured that that was an excuse. Following Ash and whatever gang he had was a habit and one that they were hesitant to break. They wanted to follow the unattainable. And they liked that it was an out of reach goal.
To tell you the truth, the antics of the Team Rocket trio amused Misty. And not in ways that you would think. It was curious to her as to why people who could have a future elsewhere would stick in an environment and organisation that was arguably wrong, shallow and unfulfilling. James had answers for her there and then. I wondered if they were the same as she had pondered herself.
With a shake of the head, the lavender haired male reached for his glove for something to play with and he spoke to the younger female, his meadow green orbs locking into her silently curious and open-minded face.
"It's not that easy. Maybe we're not racking in the money right now but we're back to being on the field and getting to travel and to tell you the truth, that's always suited us best. Freedom, for all of us. Even if it doesn't make sense to anybody. Even if it doesn't make any sense to stick to what we know just because it's what we know." James spoke to the younger female truthfully and I moved closer to her side as we both listened. Her hand remained on my cheek and I enjoyed that. But equally as honestly as the male rocketeer was being, I was interested as to what he was going to come out with next. I soon would hear. He repeated his point again, a subtle nod gracing his actions and telling look in his eyes. "It's not that easy."
And with that, Misty nodded her head and looked down at her lap. It was almost as though she didn't want to look at the Team Rocket member for too long out of fear of giving away his secret – even if there was nobody around. He was in safe hands. Some could argue that it was Misty and I in unsafe hands! But that didn't matter. He didn't want anything to ruin what had happened. He didn't want anything to ruin the fact that he and Jessie had secretly had children together on their hiatus in the Unova region and they were being raised in the headquarters along with other Team Rocket member's children.
The orange haired female's hand rubbed thoughtfully against my cheek as she continued slowly nodding her own head. She didn't have any right to judge, really. Her words had only come out, out of bitterness that he was going along with Jessie and Meowth's plans but she knew that their schemes were only habit for them at that point. They made money each and every day that they were out and being conniving. And that money was put away and there to provide for Jazmyn and Justin too.
Misty knew what it was like to come from a household that found it hard to get by. After all, she lived off hand-me-downs and next to nothing in a family of older sisters after both her parents passed away. And yet she judged James? She judged Meowth and Jessie too? She hated that. She hated that even though the three of them were keeping her from feeling safe and being with Ash.
Her expression was just about to flush with disappointment in herself. But I gathered that James knew that Misty was starting to understand his reasons, even if she barely said anything at all. While crossing his legs and sitting on the floor of the tent with the orange haired female, he found himself grinning and shuffling a bit closer towards her. He had that teasing glint in his eyes back again.
"It could just as easily be you, you know." He reminded her of his prior point and straight away, the water Pokémon enthusiast looked up from stroking me. Out of habit, her eyebrows knotted together as if she was about to snap that she didn't need reminding of her words but she soon realised to just be patient and see what he came out with next. Besides, his mischievous yet gentle smile somehow cooled her off without having to say anything at all. "You could have come around to our side, Misty. And you still could! It's the one word that gets us all. Curiosity. Freedom too. Everybody longs to act on selfish impulse at one moment or another. And to do what they want to do just because it's what they want. The open road. Team Rocket offers all of that. And everybody wants to have a taste."
Ignoring the fact that the organisation with the "R" logo offered malicious opportunities and took part in heinous crimes also, Misty couldn't help but have a bit of a smirk on her face there and then and I put it down to the wordless disbelief that not only was the lavender haired male being confident but he was being… compelling? And persuasive?
The orange haired female instinctively shook her head but the look on her face said otherwise. Yes, she knew as well as anybody else that Team Rocket could offer lots – it had offered Jessie, James and Meowth lots – but Misty being Misty, she just had to point out the other side to him as well. Her side. And she didn't do it because she was being difficult. She knew that the lavender haired male could sense the similarities without them having to be pointed out to him at all. Of course she did point them out though!
After shaking her head and smirking in disbelief for a couple more moments, Misty dismissed the pillow from sitting on her lap and she held her finger up towards the older male. He recoiled comically out of habit but she just laughed at him all the more. And then she spoke. She spoke words that got his attention straight away.
"And I could say the exact same thing to you, Jimmy. It could just as easily be you hanging up your custom-made uniforms for a life of decency and righteousness and still freedom." Misty began and I wondered why at first, James just met her words with bored eyes. It was like he had heard them before. It was like he had heard them before from her. And then it became apparent that it was almost a game between them. The younger female withheld her irritated smirks and pointed her finger as she made a smirk. "It's the same word. Curiosity. Even though you're comfortable in what you know and providing, you know that there are other avenues for you. There's a part of you that longs to do the right thing. And then a time will come where everybody will know that you're a good man."
And upon hearing this, the lavender haired male couldn't stop himself from finishing with his mock-bored look as his head tilted with – and Misty was correct – curiosity. But it was not about the green grass on the other side and doing the right thing. It was whether he had heard her words correctly. Or rather whether or not he was hearing them correctly. Did she mean that the people close to him like Jessie and Meowth and his kids knew that he was good at heart and one day everyone else would too? Or did she mean…?
James outwardly shook his head. He didn't believe that Misty wholeheartedly believed that he was a good man. She had obviously hinted that he wasn't even a gentleman! He knew that she knew him slightly from their occasions together but he didn't believe it to be enough to believe in him that well.
Either way, he couldn't help but smile slightly at everything she had to say. She was smart to be sure. She didn't miss a trick. And when she wasn't moping about in her tent about Ash then she could be good fun to talk to!
The lavender haired male must've taken a little too long to say any words at all for Misty's liking because she edged closer on her bottom all over and after reaching out to James – playfully flicking where his strand resided across his forehead – she uttered more words. She uttered more words with a knowing sigh. She really did figure people out.
"I know that you say that you like to wave as chances to do the right thing pass by… But really, you don't always have to stick to what you know just because it's what you know. Things move forward James. Things don't stop meaning everything to you even if you move away from them. And no matter what, I know that you'll always be able to provide."
I found myself smiling upon hearing this. Sometimes it was said that you don't notice someone's growth when you're close to them because you have such a specific image of them that you don't recognise things like that. But there and there, I saw the growth within Misty Williams. She absolutely was no longer a child. She was a young woman full of strength and wisdom and genuine kindness. I loved her with my entire heart – almost as much as my raven haired best friend did.
And surprisingly, the thought of he and Misty and them both together must've crossed James' mind there and then. He pushed his strand out of his eyes to rub his forehead where the younger female had flicked it and then he looked at her, a smirk taking over his face. He shook his head and he uttered in amusement but he uttered with gentleness nonetheless.
"You really do try to sell people getting over themselves, don't you?" James began and at first, Misty wondered what on earth he was talking about. Her expression was far lighter than the first moments in the tent but it was proven there and then that it could come back when her frown started to return. But the lavender haired male nipped it in the bud. He explained, pushing his hair from his eyes and slanting his head. "You're really glad that you and Ash both took that chance and told each other how you felt, aren't you? It really worked out that well for you?"
And with that, the orange haired female couldn't stop a girlish blush from taking over her expression and though she tried to resist smiling, she couldn't do it any longer. She was a little bit hesitant about being continuously honest with the older male and especially about that sort of thing – but then she just couldn't help it. She loved Ash. She loved talking about Ash. And it almost made it feel like he was there with her. Even though they had been separated by the blasted Team Rocket trio's antics.
"Of course I'm really glad we both did that. Are you kidding?" Misty started and I observed the way that the man with the "R" upon his chest openly rolled his eyes and pulled his legs to his chest but it was in a light hearted way. In fact, after narrowing my eyes suspiciously, I saw him seemingly settle down to listen, his chin resting on his kneecaps. "I mean, of course it's been tough not seeing each other every day but I also feel really lucky. Having him as a best friend all these years makes me adamant of how we both feel. So the distance doesn't do anything to us. It's hard. But we love each other. And are always just so happy to see each other."
And then following that, it was lucky that James was prepared to listen because Misty's girlish side took over and she couldn't refrain from opening up and talking about her boyfriend and all the things that she was glad about. The messy letters they wrote to each other. The video calls. The gift sending. The Pokémon battles. The hand holds. The intimacy. The love.
Granted, Misty didn't feel close enough to her sisters to open up about that kind of stuff but there and then there was a part of me that got washed over the hope that even if she did have them be interested then she would have told James anyway. Not only did he understand exactly how she felt but her innocent honesty evoked something within him. It prompted him. It prompted him to do something. James got the urge to go against the plans that he had agreed on with his teammates.
While Misty was in the middle of adding more details and talking about our Ash and I was happily lulling against her side, the lavender haired male suddenly sat upright, running a hand through his hair. I didn't think that anything was going to stop the water Pokémon enthusiast from being on the roll that she was on but I was stood corrected. She blinked after not even a second while James moved. Soon enough, he explained. Or so he thought.
"So nothing would make you happier than if that excitable boyfriend of yours were right here, right now? That would be everything that you would want? So you could be right up close with him?" James asked and he added Misty's words from earlier on and it caused the younger female to blush. She thought she was being mocked. She quickly frowned and was about to open her mouth but she was stopped by James. He held his finger up. He was onto something. "Because I would think… You would want to be over wherever with him and right now. That way none of you would be involved with our bargaining and bartering and negotiating."
"What are you getting at, James?" the orange haired female finally questioned his antics with words and sat upright herself, pushing her bangs from her eyes before rubbing her forehead in confusion. She found her eyes filling just a little bit with hurt when she thought she really was being mocked. She shook her head. "Don't be like that. You're using Pikachu and me as tools to get what you want and that's bad enough. But to-"
"Help you out? Yeah, I'm despicable, aren't I?" the man with the "R" upon his chest finished for the younger female and for a split second, I wondered if he was offended by her assumptions of him. But soon enough, I realised that his quietening down tones were as he was reaching into his pocket. Misty proved more of her growth by noticing this also and silencing herself and giving him the benefit of the doubt and watching what he was actually doing.
James didn't smirk as he reached into his pocket but it was so very obvious that he knew exactly what he was doing. The long haired male reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball. That Poké Ball belonged to Inkay. After the psychic Pokémon was summoned and trainer and Pokémon affectionately touched foreheads, James wrapped his arm around his creature friend and uttered to Misty. He uttered to her with yet another glow in his eyes.
"My Inkay? He's unique. He's a psychic Pokémon, granted, so very special indeed. But my one can help you out. If it is exactly what you want – and it's really what you want – then he can locate Ash and tell you where it is. Neither of us is going to stop you doing the right thing."
And I saw the way that my good friend couldn't help but hold her breath slightly and uncertainly edge closer to the older male. Misty had a hopeful expression but it was also one that was a little afraid of trusting him completely. He was in Team Rocket, after all. And he had a history. And on top of that, it just felt too nice to be true.
But despite all of that, she knew in her heart that James wouldn't lie that maliciously. With her head tilted and with her own grin and lip bite too, Misty chose to believe him but she still just had to make sure. She reached out to pet Inkay rather than reach out to the lavender haired male.
"Oh, James… Are you telling the truth?" the water Pokémon enthusiast asked in a comical sceptical way and perhaps it was because Misty tried to be light-hearted about it and she didn't jump at the chance that James appeared all the more eager to help her out. And he didn't seem offended by her cautiousness. He merely just smiled all the more, his meadow eyes lighting up at the possibility of his Pokémon friend getting the chance to show off his uniqueness.
"Every word!" he insisted and with that, after giving Inkay yet another pat and the two of them touched cheeks rather than foreheads, the lavender haired male kindly asked if he could help in locating Ash. The psychic Pokémon chirped and nodded his head eagerly.
We all watched as Inkay became surrounded in an eerie blue-white colour and his eyes squeezed shut with concentration. He was obviously putting in his work. Misty held a hand over her chest. James looked on with pride. I bit my lip and didn't want to get my hopes too high up. Though in my heart I knew that James was not filled with empty promises, I had never been gladder to be right.
After finishing the task at hand, Inkay's eyes opened and he glided over to the orange haired female, chirping in her ear and telling her where exactly her had ended up on the same night that she ended up at a camp with Jessie, James and Meowth. Needless to say, it was required that I eavesdropped and heard Inkay's chatterings and translated them for Misty but even so, soon enough, Misty wholeheartedly believed that she knew where Ash was. And she did.
So because of this, she didn't hesitate to tap her shoulder for me to hop on after giving Inkay a grateful kiss on the forehead before she prepared to head out of the tent, her cheeks flushed with the possibility of finding her beloved boyfriend that night.
Somehow James was as tickled pink as Misty that Inkay had served her well and he made sure to give him a loving squeeze and words of endearment before sending him back to his Poké Ball and putting said contraption back in his pocket. And even though the orange haired female knew that the lavender haired male was telling the truth, she still turned back before exiting to make sure. Soon enough, I realised that it wasn't out of cautiousness.
"You're really telling the truth? Both of you?" she asked and while the long haired male just smiled and tried not to show off a look of disapproval that she was doubting his Inkay, Misty soon giggled to herself and changed her words. She pushed her bangs from her eyes as she stood outside of the tent and peeked in. "Sorry. You sure you won't be in trouble when the others find out that you completely failed at being the prison guard rather than the prisoner?"
In that moment the lavender haired male gave Misty a slight look for the subtle dig she couldn't help but give him. But following that and her looking playfully back, it was seemingly water under the bridge. He waved a dismissive hand at her. She was still a little bit reluctant to head right off. So he told her, facing her and giving her a charming smile.
"Don't you worry about me. I'm used to being at the other end of both of their wrath. It's another familiarity that I am content with." James responded to Misty and then his smile changed to a smirk and Misty's did too. And in addition to that, she decided to forego against all prior courtesy and she even took the time to lean further in to the tent all over again and press a light kiss to the older male's cheek. And then she was off! We were off. We were off to find the raven haired male. I heard the lavender haired male's words before I saw my best friend.
He was blushing a little bit from the grateful action of the younger female and also the notion that she was right. Curiosity could possibly make him choose a different path in the not too distant future. Especially if it ended in more worthwhile affections like that! He uttered words to himself, a shake of the head before he stepped out of the tent himself.
"I think that excitable kid of theirs is guaranteed to be a lot closer than Inkay believes." James spoke aloud to himself and he was right. The split second after hearing these words, I remained on Misty's shoulder while she ran and intended to scarper from the Team Rocket camp and soon enough, we both saw an oh so familiar face. We both saw the oh so familiar face of Ash. We stopped in our tracks at first. But then we ran towards him. He didn't hesitate to run towards us in return, recovering from the surprise at seeing his girlfriend kiss the cheek of the Team Rocket member and exit a tent with him.
"Mist! Pikachu! I found you and you're safe!" my best friend cried out in relief as he ran towards his girlfriend and me and after we all embraced and needless to say, both Ash and Misty shared a tender and lingering yet innocent kiss while clutching onto the faces of each other, the raven haired male gave his girlfriend quite the protective yet soft gaze. "If those three idiots think that they can use you to bargain with then they have another thing coming! I won't hesitate to blast them off all over again."
However, before my best friend could reach into his pocket for a Poké Ball and command any of his other friends let alone command me, I hopped onto his shoulder and then the obvious happened. While James stood outside of the tent and felt the burning, protective glare from the younger, raven haired male, the other tent opened and both Jessie and Meowth strolled out. It was obvious that they had been awake and potentially scheming. In addition to this, they had probably been wondering why James was chatting with Misty so! But they let it side, thinking he was keeping her prisoner. They most certainly didn't let it side when they realised that he had helped her escape.
"Oh, nice one, Jimmy! You really are the softest person in all of Team Rocket, y'know? Unbelieveable." Meowth uttered in annoyance as he marched his way over to the lavender haired male, a frown on his feline face and his paws bawled into fists. After Jessie emerged from the tent, she had a similar frown of disappointment but she stayed swaying rather than marching like Meowth was doing. But she folded her arms over the "R" on her own chest.
"Really, James? Really? You knew that we were going to put this years old plan into action one day so why are you going against it now the time has finally come? What do you have to say for yourself?"
And in the same exact way that Jessie, Meowth, Misty and Ash was – I too was curious by what the lavender haired male was going to come out with. I should have known that I hit the nail on the head there and then!
Surprisingly, James didn't falter under the glares of his team mates and like his magenta haired life partner, he folded his own arms over his chest. Then he nonchalantly unfolded them to reach behind him and tie his hair up as he spoke. He spoke with a shrug.
"Curiosity, Jess. Freedom, Meowth. Love. The same reasons as I joined Team Rocket, actually and stayed in Team Rocket." James explained vaguely and the lavender haired male's team mates were used to him being an odd one but they felt as though he was taking the biscuit there and then!
The feline Pokémon stopped marching towards him and turned back to Jessie, an eyebrow raised. She shared the same look. They muttered to themselves and each other, trying to decipher what he was getting at.
But thankfully, Misty was there to answer for him as well. She stroked her boyfriend on the cheek and kissed him on the end of the nose which made him smile and then she stepped away from him so James knew that she was partially there for him too. Copying him, she reached to re-ty her own hair yet again. She stuck her nose in her air. But she spoke words of complete and utter lightness.
"He just had the chance to do the right thing and he waved at it before going along with it. You two should try it sometime." Misty spoke and instantly both the magenta haired female and the cat Pokémon's eyes knotted with the insinuation of her words. However as Ash couldn't help but chuckle at them and rub his cheek against mine before reaching to rub his other against Misty's, the lavender haired male soon darted to his own significant other's side and hugged her from behind, nuzzling his nose against her neck.
"Jess…" he began and the magenta haired female's eyebrow quivered but it was that of trying her best not to relent at his affection. Meowth folded his arms over his chest. He clearly wasn't as easily swayed! But I hope that he could be swayed by James' following words when he said them. I certainly wholeheartedly believed in them. "C'mon, they're lovebirds. And keeping him from her and her from him is a complete destruction of freedom that we all disagree with. And besides, at least we can be content in knowing that we were right about them all along."
And with that, though it took a couple of seconds for Jessie to relent, soon enough she couldn't help but go along with it and stick her nose in the air that yes, she had been right about Ash and Misty all along. Soon enough, she smirked. Meowth scowled but I think that it could have been a grin in his own way as his own arms slumped against his side. James definitely did openly smile as he held onto his Jessie tighter and looked over at Ash and Misty.
Needless to say, the two youngsters soon ended up in each other's arms all over again and sharing kisses and as Misty's lips were on Ash's, my mind was on something else.
The Team Rocket trio had been right about Ash and Misty all along; for they had sensed their oncoming electricity and compatibility from day one. But not only that, I knew that Misty was right about James. She was right about his feelings for Jessie. But perhaps more importantly so, she was right about his character.
He was a good man. He did the right thing. He helped people out even if it went against the better judgement of those that he cared about. And when it came to it, he enjoyed a good love story. He enjoyed his own ones and he enjoyed other people's as well. He would always be a bit of an advocate for Ash and Misty's own story, in spite of it all. He knew when two people couldn't be separated. Not by emotions. Not by circumstance. Not by distance. And not even by his Team Rocket trio!
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 This story was actually really helpful for me to get into the head-space to start all of the Ash and Misty themed stories that I usually upload yearly during November. It was also really fun doing something more closer to the anime and when the "twerps" are younger. I really enjoy James and Misty as you know and the beginning of their friendship is here and it's amusing! I always imagine that they do keep a little bit in contact even when they're chasing Ash over Kalos and she's back in Kanto. But of course, they still wind each other up plenty! :P Thanks again and I will be back next Wednesday with another chapter so see you then!
AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3