Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ A Midsummer Night's Scheme ❯ Keeping Friends Close and Enemies Closer ( Chapter 2 )

Act II

"Keeping Friends Close and Enemies Closer"

Together, Jessie and James set out in the world to experience life without Team Rocket for the first time ever. They wandered away from the base on foot, already weary and exhausted--but more so than their physical condition was their internal condition, the feeling of rejection and failure that was chewing away at their souls. Sure, they had experienced loss hundreds of times before, oftentimes several times on the same day, but they never thought that they would be fired…

Fired! From Team Rocket! That would be like asking them to stop breathing! Rocket had been their life, their purpose, their reason for living, and now that such an honor had been pulled out from underneath their feet, what was there left to hope for? They had nothing now--nothing, except for what they could scrounge up, a few supplies, their clothes, and just enough money to live on for a week or two. Other than that, they were on their own, and in a world that saw them as either a villain, a nuisance, or a strange pair of hopeless individuals.

At least things couldn't get any worse, or so they thought…

-----

Hot on the trail of the Legendary Pokemon master were two expert assassins, each one as deadly as the other and each one loyal to those with enough money to throw around. One was a tall blonde woman, with eyes of chilling blue, and a small but nasty scar running across her face. She wore a pure-white cloak that never seemed to have any blood on it, and a tight blue uniform underneath that showed off her svelte body. Her companion was a male, one who made even tall men seem dwarfish. Aside from his size, he didn't look deadly at all, but there was a lethal mystique around him that had put him in the ranks of the world's deadliest killers.

Together, the man and the woman--Marion and Morrison--trekked through the jungle as they made their way to a nearby town, and from there, they would take a boat to the continent where the Legendary Pokemon Master lived. It would be simple, it would be quick, and nobody else would know about it--nobody at all.

-----

"This will have to do until we can find a good place to lodge," said James as he set up a tent. Night had fallen quicker than either of them thought--they had been walking aimlessly for the whole day--and while they had the means to survive in the wilderness, they both wanted to find a more permanent (and safe) place to live. Jessie, who could understand the situation well, silently agreed and helped her partner set the tent up. It was small, barely big enough to fit both of them, and it was one of the last remaining memories of their former past. In a rage, James had previously ripped off the Team Rocket logo and threw it in the campfire, but even he was beginning to miss his old life.

Once the tent was up and the rations were eaten, Jessie and James retired for the night and crawled into the tent. They were not accustomed to sleeping together like this, though they had done it on several occasions, but this time it seemed okay to share the same bed. As James turned the lamp off, he let out a weary, troubled sigh, and tried to forget about his worries as he laid there. Quietly, from out of the darkness, Jessie shuffled over to him and cuddled up next to him. There was no romance in the gesture at all--she was frightened, perhaps the first time in a very long while.

"Oh, James…" she whispered fearfully, "what are we going to do now? Without Team Rocket supporting us, I don't know what we're going to do!"

"I'll think of something later," he said, touching her bare hand. He didn't like to see Jessie this way--she was better when she was confident, in control, brash, and just slightly on the indestructible side--and in order to keep her sane, he would do whatever it took, including comforting her like she was a toddler again.

"But… what can we do?" she asked. "What can we do, James? Team Rocket was the only one who took us in, and even then! I don't know what else I'm good at! James, are you good at anything?"

"…We could always get by in a fast food place," he suggested. Jessie screamed at him, but her anger soon turned to despair.

"Oooooohhhhhhh, I don't WANT to be flipping burgers forever! I don't even want to do it for a month! I can't end up wasting my life in a dead-end job that has no glory! James, how could you think of something like that??!"

"Don't jump to conclusions, my dear! I was only joking!" he replied. James' excuse calmed Jessie down a little, and a more somber sigh emitted out of her mouth as she slumped her head down in defeat. Gently, she could hear his heart beating, and she knew that he was just as uncertain and frightened as she was. That made her feel just a little bit better.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do," she said softly as she wrapped herself around him. He held her close, himself unafraid to admit his fear, and tried his best to comfort her.

"We'll manage for awhile," he guaranteed. "I have enough money, food, and supplies to last us for a long time if we manage ourselves smartly."

"And then what?" A pause.

"……I… don't know…" James sighed sadly, and decided that, since there was nothing more he could do at the moment, it would be a good time to rest his head and sleep. Gradually, over the course of many restless minutes, an idea formed in his head. Granted, it was a million-to-one shot, and Jessie would object without a thought, and he doubted his own wisdom… But, it was better than nothing, and he knew just when to swallow his pride.

"I think I have an idea," he announced gently. Jessie looked up at him with heartbreaking puppy-dog eyes of sorrow and fiery hope.

"What?"

"…I'll tell you in the morning," he replied. "For now, let's just sleep, and hope that it works." A pause. Jessie allowed him to have his secrets for the time, shrugged, and snuggled up close, giving his cheek a gentle kiss before falling asleep.

"Okay. Good night, James."

-----

Night was of little consequence to the two assassins who mercilessly scoured the world for any more information on the Legendary Pokemon Master. He was not in his reported hometown, and although the gruesome twosome badly wanted to torch the place, their orders from Giovanni explicitly denied them such pleasures. Both Marion and Morrison were displeased with the arrangement… but the cash reward for a job well done made up for any inconveniences.

Besides, there was never a rule forbidding any form of torture or interrogation…

"We know that this was the village where the Legendary Pokemon Master used to live," grumbled Morrison in his deep bass voice. He was holding up one of the locals by their foot, letting the rest of their body dangle upside-down as he bored his dark eyes into him.

"You had better tell us everything we want to know," hissed Marion as she faintly scratched the throat of another villager with her clawed gauntlets. "Unless, of course, you would like to have an extra place to breathe out of. And I don't think your friend over there likes being hung upside down."

"I… I can be reasonable!" stammered the poor man she was threatening. Marion smiled at him like a hyena smiling at its prey, and leered at the man as her icy eyes burned.

"Yes… I know you can… Now, tell us everything we need to know."

"Y-yes! O-of course!"

-----

James' eyes suddenly flew open from a deep and depressing sleep. With the ghosts of the nightmare still haunting him, and the beads of sweat still clinging to his brow, he drew in several deep breaths and tried to reason with himself. Jessie, who had tossed away from his body during the night, was snoring and drooling, and muttering something about roast beef sandwiches and wrenches. James took in a deep breath, and tried to convince himself that all he had seen was just an illusion.

It was eight o'clock in the morning, and James was beginning to forget what it was like to be a part of Team Rocket. Slowly, quietly, gingerly, he slithered out of his bed and stretched out fully, extending his limbs and groaning his sleepiness away. He scratched his back and arms, yawned, and stepped outside to make sure that his dream had been just a dream. With a flair, he pointed his finger at a nearby tree, and declared the Team Rocket motto.

"Prepare for double, and make it trouble!" he exclaimed. "To protect the world within our nation! To unite all people from devastation! …No, wait, that's not it. …Prepare for nation, and make it devastation! To unite all people in truth and love! …No, wait… To protect the world from the stars above, to denounce the evils of the stars above…… NO!!

"Prepare for Jessie and make it James! …No! To unite all people with devastation, to denounce the evils of trouble and double! …NO!! To unite all people with the speed of light, get ready for truth and get ready to fight! …NO! To love all people within our nation, to prepare for double and make it trouble! …NO!!!!

"Prepare for truth and make it love! To extend our reaches to Jessie above! No!! Team Rocket--blast off at the speed of trouble! Surrender now or make it double! NO! Prepare for the stars and make it love! No! To denounce all people with stars and James! NO! To renounce fishes and make it a rake in Buckingham palace! No, no, no!!!"

"James!!!" A frantic James whirled around, seeing Jessie standing just outside the tent with an inquisitive and angry look on her face. A comb was in one hand, and a sock in the other. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"…To protect the world from truth and love, to denounce the evils of the stars above……… Oh, Jessie, I can't remember our motto!!! Aaaaauuuuuggh!!!" Poor James burst out into tears, literally soaking the ground as he bawled unnecessarily. Jessie looked at him like he had just turned into a love-struck Snorlax, and her eye twitched so much that it could have fallen off.

"You can't… remember… our motto?" she managed. James continued crying, but Jessie (who had been rather afraid herself the other night) found the confidence she had been lacking and snapped him out of it with a well-timed slap.

KA-POW!

"Snap out if it, James William Wyatt! You're a man! Take it like a man, man!"

"But I can't!" he wailed. "I can't remember the motto! And if I can't remember something as simple as our old Team Rocket motto…"

"But you said yourself that we're no longer part of Team Rocket!!" she screamed as she throttled him. As his head was being snapped around like a rattle, poor James tried to reason with the enraged woman.

"Who was I kidding?! You were right, Jessie--we can't exist without it! Let's face it, we're both doomed! And I can't remember the stupid motto!! Waaaaaaaaahhh!!!"

"SNAP out of it!" she screamed as she slapped him again. With a second hand-mark on his face, James slowly calmed down, breathed deeply, and found his sanity.

"You're right, Jessie," he panted. "You're right. I'm being such a sissy about it. I should… take it like a man, and not cry over spilled milk. You're right! We're not a part of Team Rocket anymore! Team Rocket can kiss our dirty smelly feet, right between the toes!" James grinned after denouncing his former employer, and stood up straight once again. He clenched a defiant fist, and smiled so brilliantly that one would think his face was the sun.

"I feel so alive and free!" he screamed.

"Ssh!" Jessie silenced her bizarre partner, covering his mouth with her hands as she began to hear noises. She quietly whispered to her companion that she thought she had heard somebody walking around the bushes, and there seemed to be more than one person with them. James tensed and pricked his ears up to hear better. He steeled his resolve, and tickled the tip of his Pokeball with his fingers as he waited for the disturbance to show itself.

And as fate would have it, the disturbance came in the trio of Ash, Misty, and Brock.

"What the--"

"It's them again!!"

Five old enemies leaped back and stared at each other, both sides haven been taken completely by surprise by the sudden encounter. Ash, Misty, and Brock glared at Jessie and James as if there was going to be another struggle, and meanwhile, the dastardly duo stared at the heroic trio, waiting for something to happen.

And like an old spaghetti Western, the two sides stared each other down until James could almost see the tumbleweeds rolling by. He finally swallowed, and to the disturbing shock of his partner, he greeted the three friends with a chipper smile.

"Why hello there!" he squealed. "Well, fancy meeting you all here! Say, isn't this a lovely day?!" In response, poor Jessie fell to the floor from the overwhelming shock, and the three younger ones merely growled.

"Grr… Team Rocket… Just ignore them," muttered Brock. "They're probably up to no good again…" Pikachu agreed, in so many words, and the trio managed to move forward.

"W-wait!" exclaimed James. "Don't leave, not just yet! We're not with Team Rocket anymore!"

"…Huh?"

"That's right, they fired us!" he exclaimed again. "Yes, yes, fired us they did! We got canned, you see! Rejected! Thrown out! Terminated! Liquidated! Erased from their roster! Our lockers are cleared, our passes are taken, and our uniforms were stripped right from our bodies!"

"So… are you two saying what I think you're saying?" pointed Ash doubtfully. James smiled and nodded his head; Jessie, on the other hand, gave him a sudden yank and pulled him in for a private conversation.

"(James, have you gone completely bonkers?! Why are you talking to them?! This could be our big break! If we can capture Pikachu and give him to the boss, then we'll have our jobs back! Go on, let's get him!)"

"(Jessie, don't be absurd!)" he hissed back at her. "(We're not a part of Team Rocket anymore! Even if we did capture Pikachu right now, we'd just be like two common criminals in their last desperate act! Besides, didn't you say that we weren't part of Team Rocket anymore? We don't care about Pikachu!)"

"(…We don't?)"

"(Of course not! And say! I've just got a brilliant idea!)"

"(I think that if you're thinking what I think you're thinking about, then I think you'd better think differently!)"

"(I thought you would say that,)" he sighed, "(but really, Jessie! Is there any other way? Let's give it a shot! I mean, what do we have to lose?)"

A pause in the conversation meant that Jessie was actually considering his query.

"(…You have a point,)" she admitted. "(It sounds weird, but we don't have any other options. Do you think they'll…?)"

"(We can hope,)" he whispered. In a flash, Jessie and James were facing three very puzzled young people, both of them with watery smiles plastered on their faces and both of them looking absolutely ridiculous.

"We've been in a serious discussion, and we've come to a conclusion!" she proclaimed. "Because of our recent change of employment, we have suddenly become two very free individuals!"

"We now bear an intense grudge against the very company that hated us so much!" chimed in James. "In fact, we feel so much enmity towards them that I think a course of cold merciless revenge would be in order!"

"…Revenge?" parroted a bewildered Ash. Both Jessie and James nodded their heads.

"Yes! And since the three of you have such experience battling the forces of Team Rocket…"

"I mean, we did have a few skirmishes here and there…!"

"We figured that… well, why don't you three tag along with us?"

"So we can declare the truths of revenge and retribution to old stinky Team Rocket!"

"Tag along??" spat Brock. "With you??!! HA! You've got to be joking!!"

"Joking we are not!" declared Jessie. "Why, who else would be better suited to accompany us into the belly of Team Rocket and strike a deafening blow?!"

"……Yup, they're both nuts," concluded Ash after a pause. Pikachu agreed, and the heroic trio continued to march on, through the forest. Jessie and James panicked, and rushed over to intercept them again. They were now on their knees, clasping their hands in classical begging position, and irresistible eyes of blue and green yearned to be trusted.

"PLEASE!!" they screamed. "PLEASE let us come with you!!"

"We don't have anywhere else to go and nobody else will take us in!" wailed Jessie.

"You three are the only other people we would even consider trusting!" cried James.

"We can't survive on our own! We've been living in Team Rocket's care for too long!"

"Please, pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease PLEEEEEEEEEASE let us come with you!!"

"We'll be good!" promised Jessie. "We won't cause you any trouble or problems!"

"Honest!" swore James. "Scout's honor! PLEASE! We don't have anywhere to turn to!"

"SHUT… UP!!!" Misty screamed out loud, silencing both former Rockets superbly. She glared at them eyes burning and nostrils flaring, and let them both have a piece of her mind. "Do you two really expect us to believe all that hash? What kind of idiots do we think we are?"

"And don't answer that question!!" stated Brock. Misty gave him a very sour and bitter glare before continuing.

"…You two must be even stupider than we thought!" she said. "Do you think we're actually going to let two members of Team Rocket come with us? I mean, you two are pretty much our sworn enemy! And now you say you wanna come along with us?"

"We're telling the truth!" exclaimed Jessie. Misty turned her nose up at the older woman and gave her a haughty humph! Ash, however, was slightly more reasonable.

"It's not as if we don't trust you. It's just that… we don't trust you!"

"But we're serious!!" exclaimed James. He stood up, and displayed his outfit to the trio like he was a fashion model. "Look, see? I don't have the Team Rocket logo anywhere on my body! When have you ever seen either one of us without the Team Rocket logo?"

Ash, Misty, and Brock couldn't answer.

"Exactly my point! So, therefore, we must not be a part of Team Rocket anymore, since we no longer have their logo!"

"Some excuse that is!" declared Brock. "You're probably just in disguise or something! Whatever your reason is, I don't think we should trust you! Come on, Ash, Misty! Let's leave these two clowns alone!" Ash and Misty agreed and continued walking, but they were stopped one more time by the tenacious twosome.

"Come on!" wailed Jessie. "Why won't you believe us?"

"Because you've always been sneaky and deceptive and lying in the past!"

"We'll grant you that, but this time it's different!" declared James frantically. "We really and truly did get booted out!"

"Yeah right! It's just a trick!" spat Brock again. By that time, Jessie and James were so desperate that--aside from stooping to a new low by asking an alliance with former enemies--they began to actually cry and beg as well.

"Oh, come on!" wailed the redhead. "We're on our knees begging for your mercy!"

"Please trust us this one time!" wailed the one with blue hair. "We might be liars and all that stuff but we would never lie about being fired from Team Rocket! I swear on my parents that this is the truth!"

"But don't you two always tell us that you're going to denounce the evils of truth and love?" snapped Misty. Jessie and James flinched, but came back as smoothly as they possibly could, given the situation.

"Yes, but… we forsake all of that!"

"Yes, that's it! We forsake it all! Why, just a few minutes ago, Jim here forgot our very motto!"

"Huh?? How could you forget that motto?!" squealed Brock in disbelief. "You say it every darned time you run into us! I can't believe you'd forget something like that!"

"It must be because we were fired!" explained James. "Something must have happened that made us forget all of a sudden! Oh, please, can't we all just forgive and forget?!" Jessie nodded her head and gave her two cent's worth as well.

"We promise that we'll be noble and trustworthy friends from now on--if you'll just take us with you!"

"We're on our knees, begging for your mercy!" cried James. Both former Rockets literally were crying, and the performance was so convincing that even skeptical Brock had to wonder. Of course, with bizarre characters like these two, even their greatest performance had to be questioned.

"Gosh…" whispered Misty, "those tears look awfully real… Hey, do you think we should give them a chance?" Ash shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe they can have one chance, and then--"

"Oh, THANK YOU, young man!" exclaimed the duo suddenly as they hopped to their feet and pumped his hands. "We're ever so grateful! You don't know how much this means to us, really!"

"But, I--"

"Don't sweat the small stuff, kid!" assured Jessie with a bright smile. "We'll do good on our promise and more! In fact, if you want proof of our newfound alliance, we'll be happy to tell you about all the secrets of Team Rocket!"

"All the secrets of Team Rocket?!" spat the trio. "Wow! Now that would be a real test of friendship!" James nodded his head and gave his "new friends" a classical wink.

"Of course, of course! All the secrets you could want! Just ask anything!" Ash, Misty, and Brock all looked at each other, forming a sort of triangle as they mentally asked each other whether or not their former enemies were really that trustworthy. They all shrugged, and considered that they had very little to lose. Besides, if it had been a charade all that time, then Pikachu would just blast them as always!

"All right, tell us a really big secret!" demanded Misty. "One that only a Rocket would know! And nothing stupid, like Mr. Mime's weight or how many Hitmonlees it takes to screw in a light bulb."

"The answer to both questions is 130," said James. The trio of friends nearly fell over from the non sequitur. "But seriously," he continued, "if you want to know a well-guarded secret, then we'll be glad to tell you the whereabouts of--get this now--the Legendary Pokemon Master."

"The Legendary Pokemon Master?!?!" Ash and his friends had a good reason for gawking so much. The Legendary Pokemon Master was the world's leading expert on any and all types of Pokemon, from the common Ratatta to the extremely rare Chansey. It was even rumored that the LPM (as some called him) had three Pokemon in his possession that were so rare, only he owned them. It was said that the man was one of the original researchers of Pokemon, and in his old age, he retired into a mysterious continent and remained a hermit. Nobody had seen him in thirty years, since he retired, but if anybody found him, then they would be able to find out anything about Pokemon.

And if Team Rocket caught hold of him…

"You really know where he is?!" exclaimed Misty. Jessie and James both smiled.

"Of course. The boss used to talk about him all the time. He said that it would be his ultimate goal to have the knowledge of the Pokemon Master on his side, but only the bravest and mightiest members of Team Rocket could hope to locate him."

"I'm sad to say that we were never selected to go after him," sighed James. "The boss spent lots of time and money just to find the location of this man, and we learned of this location after overhearing a private conversation."

"So you really know where he lives?!" repeated Misty. James tilted his head, and stuck his finger in his mouth as he thought.

"Well… nobody knows the exact location… but we could tell you the general area!"

"Then tell us!" insisted Brock as he grabbed the other man. "I promise that if you let us know, you can tag along and maybe even share our food!"

"Brock!" Misty brained the poor loveable guy, and gave her "new friends" a very sweet and very fake smile. "Eh hehehe! Excuse him, he's as thick as his name implies!"

"(I know what you mean,)" muttered Jessie. Fortunately, James heard not a word of it.

"Anyway," continued the chipper girl, "where does this guy live?"

"Well, the boss told us that he lives on a small continent called Mekah, which is quite some distance northeast of here--I think." Ash and Misty wrote the directions down, and a wounded Brock checked the map he had. On the large sheet of paper was written just about every location there was in the world, but Mekah was nowhere to be found.

"Hey, I don't see it on the atlas!" he exclaimed. James took a peek and pointed at the place that the continent would have been.

"Why do you think Team Rocket called it a 'secret continent', hmm? If it's not on the map, then the mapmaker wouldn't have known about it, obviously."

"Then how did your boss know?"

"We're not sure," shrugged Jessie. "All we know is what we overheard. So now that we've told you a closely-guarded Team Rocket secret, can we please accompany you? At least until you reach the master!!" Ash, Misty, and Brock pondered over the new turn of events, and huddled together to deliberate on the matter. Their muttered voices concerned the dastardly duo, who still had doubts about their former enemies. A few agonizing minutes later, the verdict seemed to have been reached.

"Okay," said Ash, "we'll let you come along."

"YES!!!"

"But if you try any funny stuff, then Pikachu zaps you!" And to prove his threat, the young boy held up his beloved friend, displaying the eager yellow creature to Jessie and James. They smiled weakly and waved at their former pursuit.

"It's a deal!" he said.

"No funny stuff!" she said.

"On the honor of the Wyatt family and the Earp family!" The two of them shook hands with Ash, then Misty, and finally Brock, and things seemed ready to get into action. A new destination was set, with new allies to lead the way--but little did any of them know, a few new enemies were also in the mix, and they were a lot closer to their trail than anybody could suspect. And to prove it, no sooner did the alliance form did two figures emerge from the trees above, scaring birds away into the sky and making imposing stances in the near distance.

"What the?! Who are you?!" demanded Ash as they landed. The two figures glowered wickedly, and decided to formally introduce themselves--putting a new spin on the weary old Team Rocket motto in the process as well.

"Prepare for danger!" hissed the female.

"And wrath from a stranger!" growled the male.

"To ignite the world in devastation!"

"To unite all chaos within all nations!"

"To proclaim all concepts of anarchy and hate!"

"To set the world for a Doomsday date!"

"Marion!!"

"Morrison!!"

"Team Rocket! Destroying everything within our path!"

"Surrender now or feel our wrath!!"

A pause.

"That's… not how the old motto goes…" murmured Jessie fearfully. The female, Marion, gave her a hyena's smile.

"We've improved it since you pathetic excuses for carrion left. How do you like it? I think it expresses the true terror that Team Rocket now strikes!"

"You mean that you're part of Team Rocket?!" shrieked Ash. He gave his new allies a demanding stare, and scalded them with his accusations. "Hey! Is this some kind of trick?! You were setting us up for a trap, weren't you?"

"No, no! We have no idea who these people are!" insisted James. Marion and Morrison, the newest and most lethal members of Team Rocket, stepped forth and smiled wickedly at their new prey.

"Please believe us when we say that these two morons are worthless trash," grumbled Morrison. "It's true that they were fired, but I guess that doesn't matter now. Our employer asked us to eliminate anything in our way, and since the five of you are in our way…" Morrison grinned fully, but instead of a row of pearly white teeth, a row of steel chompers was greeting them instead!

"Oh my goodness!" shrieked Misty. "I'd hate to have your dental bills!"

"Please pay no mind to what you see," snarled the steel-toothed man. "I'm sorry, but you won't live long enough to make it a concern of yours." Marion quietly agreed.

"He may be polite, but he's very deadly. Of course, I'm no pushover either. So whaddya say, kids? Ya wanna die slowly, or painfully?"

"We're not doing either!" declared Ash with a mighty pointed finger. "Pikachu! Show them what you're made of!" Pikachu let out a shout, and although Jessie and James screamed out of old habit, the blast that came from the yellow creature was not meant for them. It snaked its way towards the two new enemies, but Morrison merely chuckled, showing off his steel incisors and everything.

"Onyx!" he shouted. "Please shield us!" From out of nowhere, a gigantic Onyx emerged and wrapped itself around Marion and its master, easily protecting them from the electric blast. Ash gasped in surprise; Morrison merely chuckled.

"You should know that electricity can't harm an Onyx!" declared the tall man. "But Onyx sure can dish it out! Onyx! Please shake them off their shoes!" The Onyx obeyed, ramming its huge head into the ground until a mighty earthquake shivered the quintet out of their shoes (as planned). Jessie and James, being used to so much abuse, stood up first and brought out their Pokemon.

"Let's see what these Rocket Rejects can really do!" she shouted. "Arbok, go!" From out of her Pokeball, the serpentine Arbok slithered out and literally snaked towards the Onyx. Marion, however, grinned maliciously, and sent forth a vicious Charizard to torch the snake. As Jessie screamed, Morrison frowned in thought, and inquired to his partner about the matter.

"What happened to the bull?"

"I grew tired of it," replied Mario as she swished her blonde hair out of her eyes. "Besides, I'm a pyromaniac. I just love a Pokemon that can burn things." He smiled, and watched as Charizard and Onyx crawled and stomped towards the group. Misty and Brock screamed, but James stepped forth to save the day with his Wheezing.

"Wheezing! It's time to beat a hasty retreat! Smoke screen!" The Wheezing belched out in reply, and coughed up a screen of smoke worthy of a true escape artist. While the polluted fog clogged up the air, and Marion's and Morrison's lungs to boot, Jessie, James, Ash, Misty, and Brock made a run for it. They ran as fast and as far as they could, and did not look back for anything (of course, Jessie and James did rescue their beloved Pokemon).

Once the smog cleared, the quintet was far ahead enough to be safe for some time. Upon seeing that their prey had evaded them, Marion let out a nasty word, and snarled as she called her Pokemon back in. Morrison silently summoned his back, and folded his muscular arms as he began to think. Marion sighed, shrugged, and decided to join her deadly partner.

"Oh well," she said. "It wasn't important. Unlike our incompetent predecessors, it wasn't our responsibility to capture that stupid Pikachu. We should worry about more important things."

"…Agreed."

"I think they said that the Pokemon Master lived on the continent of Mekah," she said, mostly to herself. Marion, who could be fierce one moment and fiercely calm the next, stood on top of a tree stump and allowed the wind to play with her hair and white robe. She could be a beautiful woman at times--deadly beauty, maybe--and she was more thoughtful than Professor Oak himself.

"The shark's appetite is not spoiled if they miss out on feasting on guppies," said Morrison suddenly. He joined his thoughtful partner, arms crossed, and nodded his head. "In fact, it is increased even more. There are bigger fish in this sea, Marion, and I think we should focus on them. Our weak predecessors have given us a trail of blood to follow; let us not pass up this delicious opportunity." Silently as always, the giant man lumbered off into the distance, leaving his partner behind a bit. She chuckled to herself, leaped off the stump, and braved into the northeast with the wind against her.