|
|
On the outside the plan had seemed simple enough. But somehow every thing went wrong, as it often did.
Jesse had come up with the idea, and James just went along with it. He had been uneasy about going on another ship, remembering the bad luck on them he had already experianced.
This time, they had decided, they would not make the same mistakes they had made in the past. Instead of a huge operation to steal everyone's Pokémon like they tried last time, they would only steal Pikachu, then get off.
The plan was to disguse themselves as bellhops, and steal the bags that Ash carried his Pokémon in. Then they would dress themselves as tourists and get of at the nearest port.
As flawless as it had apeared, the plan did not turn out the way they had hoped. On the horizon dark clouds were gathering, but those on board were to happy to notice them, or to realize what they meant.
On board the three set their plan into action. Dressed as bellhops they waited for Ash, Misty, and Brock to arrive. At about noon they came, shortly before the ship left the dock.
Laughing and happy, the three friends didn't notice who it was that took their bags. It was starting to look like Team Rocket would finally have a success.
A little while later Ash realized that everyone else on the ship was carrying their bags. They had been robbed, and it didn't take them long to figure out who did it.
"Team Rocket must be one this ship!" Ash groaned, sliding on hand down his face. "Now they have my Pokémon!"
"Oh, no!" Misty said,"Ash, it looks like you've been had." She scanned the crowd, but the deck was full of people, and she had no idea what sort of disguse Jesse and James would be wearing.
Meanwhile, Jesse and James were making their way through the mass of people from their rooms where they had changed. It was slow going, there were a lot of people on board.
Suddenly, the gentle breezes turned to a howling wind, and the sky turned dark above their heads. Rain started to pour down, while blue-black waves rocked the ship.
People were scattering, trying to get to the safety of their rooms. Team Rocket found themselves pushing against the tide of people. Near the railing on the starboard side, James tripped and dropped the bag holding Ash's beloved Pokémon. It slid across the deck and stopped at the feet of the very ten year old he had stolen them from, all but the ball that contained Bulbasaur, which James still held.
Just then a monsterous slate-grey wave hit the ship, shattering the railing that James stood in front of. He was swept from the deck of the ship and into the hungry sea. He went below the water and then was lost from site.
He sat up slowly, his joints were stiff, painfully aching. And oh, did his head hurt. Looking up and down the beach, he saw only white, crystaline sand. Further from the shore he saw some buildings that looked promising.
Standing up to head towards them, he was surprised by how dizzy that action made him. His vision was blurred, but that was slowly fading.
In the town that he had seen, he went to the Pokécenter and learned that this was Cinnabar Island. But when the Nurse Joy asked him his name he found that he could not remember. Everytime he tried to, the memory would not come, it seemed hidden behind a heavy curtain.
The people at the center were sympathetic, and agreed to let him stay there for a while.
Time passed and the days turned to weeks. He was still living in the Pokécenter, but was working towards getting an apartment. His name and past were a mystery, so those who knew him called him Jonathan.
Perhaps the most puzzling thing about him was his Pokémon. One was a doggedly loyal Weezing, and the other was a Bulbasaur that despised him. His Weezing would do anything he asked, but the Bulbasaur wouldn't only not listen to him, but would vine-whip him every time he talked to it.
He got a job at a resturant waiting tables. It was a good life, but he was still haunted by his past, or more accuratly, his lack of one.
Five months had passed since he had arrived on Cinnabar Island, and he had ajusted well. Then one day something happened to change all that.
He was helping Nurse Joy take care of some injured Pokémon that had came in, with his Weezing hovering behind him. The patients were; a Pikachu that had been poisoned, a Squirtle with mallet wounds, and a Charmeleon that had been badly scratched.
He was distressed with how badly the poke`mon had been injured, but what bothered him the most was that they were scared to death of him.
Every time he tried to comfort any of them, the would sink back, try to run, or out-and-out bite him. Most Pokémon liked him, and took well to him. But these behaved like, well, his Bulbasaur.
Nurse Joy treated the hurt Pokémon, while James apoligized for not being able to help more. Then he thought it would be a good idea to meet their trainer and talk to him.
He came out from the back room of the center and waited quietly while Nurse Joy finished talking to the trainer. He was a boy with black hair and a Pokémon league hat. James guessed his age to be about ten or eleven.
He walked out from behind the counter and up to the boy. James offered his hand to the boy, who just stared at it. "Hello," James said, "you must be the trainer of these Pokémon."
Ash looked up at James and gawked, slack-jawed, at him.
"What is it?" James asked, frowning a little.
"You have a lot of nerve asking that after you stole one of my Pokémon!"
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
"You're James, from Team Rocket."
"James, what are you trying to pull?" Ash asked, his hands crossed. James looked at him in disbelif.
"I think we should discuss this outside, so we don't disturb the others in here." James asked, a little stunned. They walked out of the Pokécenter where Misty and Brock were waiting.
"What's he doing here? I thought he was killed when he went over board." She took a few steps back and eyed him warily.
"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" James wailed.
"Like you didn't know." Ash growled,"You stole my Bulbasaur and probobly came here to make your getaway."
"Why would I do something like that?" James asked them. "You say you know something about my past, that I'm some sort of criminal from Team Rocket, prove it."
"What is he talking about?" Misty wondered, "Doesn't he know all this?"
"There's only one way I know to prove it to him, let's go."
"Where are we going?" asked Brock.
"To find Jesse."
After the incident on the boat, Jesse and Meowth had stopped following them, out of mourning they had stayed a while where the ship docked, then a month later they moved on. They were rumored to be a few miles from here, conning people.
As the walked, James related his tale, of waking up on the beach and not knowing who he was. The others were not convinced. "You probably know exactly what's going on and are lying to cover your tracks." Ash spat.
"Maybe you could try and quit accusing me of everything until we hear what this Jesse person has to say. Do you think you can manage that?"
The three glared at him a moment, then continued on in silence.
"Who's this Jesse person?" James finally asked.
"She's like your girl friend or something."
"Oh."
After some time later they reached the area where Jesse and Meowth were last seen. It was on a lonley dirt road that many trainers went on. "They've been here stealing Pokémon from the people who go by, but they're not very good at it."
James was slightly behind the group when he heard a voice say,"It's you again, you little twerps. I never thought you'd show your faces here again, now hand over that Pikachu!"
"That's Jesse."groaned Ash.
"Her?" he asked surprised.
Jesse blinked in surprise, "James, is that you?" she asked, stareing.
"I'm not sure, but that's what everyone keeps telling me."
"What are you talking about James? and what are you doing with them?"
"These guys say I'm some sort of criminal. Is that true?"
"Of course it's true, James. You're my partner. And where have you been?"
Ash answered that. "He's been doing good things for people, unlike you guys."
"James, is that true?"
"Uhh.." James started, than Ash butted in,
"Of course it's true, look at him, he's not in the Team Rocket uniform."
"That doesn't prove anything! He left his uniform on the ship."
"Maybe you don't want to admit that he's gone good."
"He has not!"
"Has!"
"Has not!"
"Has"
"Arbok, go! Okay Ash, you little twerp. We'll settle this here!"
"Okay, you're on. Pikachu, come here."
"Arbok, wrap attack!" Arbok lunged at Pikachu, but the electric mouse dodged quickly. Than he turned to face Arbok, who was now behind him."
"Pikachu, Thundershock!"
"Wait, James is there!"
The warning was too little, too late. Pikachu released a violent turrent of electricity, strait at the confused James.
He was thrown violently back, smelling of burnt hair and fabric.
"James! Are you alright?" Jesse shreiked
"Sure I'm alright" James groaned, "Hey, what are they doing here?"
"We brought you here, remember?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm glad I'm back Jesse."
"You mean, you remember who I am?"
"Yes, I finally do."
"But what about your new life, are you going back to that?" Jesse asked quietly
"I could never leave you or Team Rocket like that, espeically not for a minimum wage job."
They laughed for a moment at that, then James stopped. Jesse kept laughing, until he put his arms around her waist and kissed her gently on the lips. Jesse, normally so strong, melted in his embrace.
They stood there, as Ash, Misty, and Brock looked on in surprise, and they knew they would never be apart.