Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ A Midsummer Night's Scheme ❯ Boundaries of Trust ( Chapter 3 )

Act III

"Boundaries of Trust"

It was a bright and sunny day outside, perfect for taking long, aimless walks across the countryside or even through the city. The sun was up, the sky was blue, it was beautiful, and feeling new! Yet all the beauty and splendor of the world couldn't deter the fact that a certain dastardly duo were still very much around and still very much annoying. Ash, Brock, and Misty had extended some of their mercy to their "former" enemies, Jessie and James, and had allowed the now-jobless duet to tag along as brief traveling companions. They had came in handy once, during the time when they had all escaped from the newest members of Team Rocket, but now that things had settled down and the chase grew cold, distrust and dissent reigned once again.

"I'm so tired of all this walking!" moaned James as he slumped down. "Can't we take a break? My feet are killing me!"

"I can't remember what sitting down felt like!" groaned Jessie. "Can't go on, can't go on, can't go on!"

"Hey, pipe down back there!" shouted an annoyed Brock. "No complaining! Yeesh! I'd have thought that Team Rocket was specially trained to go on long hikes!"

"Apparently not," remarked Misty. She turned around, and gave her temporary companions an irritated glare. "Look, stop complaining! Ash and us go on long walks all the time!"

"Ugh, ever heard of an automobile?" mumbled a weary James.

"None of us are old enough to drive yet!" retorted the redhead.

"What about your Pokemon?" suggested Jessie. "Don't you ever ride on those?"

"Well, yeah, but… I mean, it's for emergencies only!"

"But this is an emergency!" exclaimed James. "If Jessie and I don't take a rest soon, our feet are going to disintegrate! Please, just stop for a little while!" The three friends groaned, and looked at each other to determine the fate of their "friends". Ash shrugged, and felt that it would be best that all of them took a rest.

"I'm feeling a little weary myself," he said. "Yeah, we'd better stop for awhile. Jessie, James, I guess if you two are going to show us the way to the Legendary Pokemon Master, you're going to need all your strength."

"Oh, bless you, boy!" exclaimed the redheaded female as she shook Ash's hands. "You really are a great friend, and after all the trouble we caused you! I don't know how we could ever repay you!"

"Just don't betray us and we'll do fine!" spat Brock defensively. Misty intended to smack him for such a remark, but she could easily understand his distrust. Even Ash didn't believe Jessie and James, and he had been the one that allowed them to come with him. It was going to be a tough journey, however, and finding the Legendary Pokemon Master would be tough enough, so for the time being, they had to trust their former enemies.

Misty, who was the least-exhausted of the quintet, went to look for a stream so she could supply her friends with water. Being a pro at handling water and ice-type Pokemon didn't make it any easier for her to find a source, but her affinity did come in handy now and then. As she scoured the land for a stream, she began to question the current situation. She doubted Jessie and James, for the two had been anything but reliable in the past, even to their own employer. She could understand it if they had been fired--they weren't exactly Rocket's leading agents--but like her friend Brock, she didn't trust their motives.

"Ah, there's one!" she exclaimed suddenly. Misty found a small and slow stream of water, and dipped her bucket in. The new weight was a little much, but she was young and not exactly a powerhouse of strength. Misty would have to carry the water back and forth between the camp and the river in order to satisfy everybody's needs. The only distraction that she offered herself was a little hum of a song.

"Ah, thanks!" exclaimed Ash as she got back with the water. Their canteens were filled up first, and everybody got a good drink before the water was used on other things. Ash, Misty, and Brock had not been on the road for long, so they wouldn't need to wash their clothes for at least another day, but Jessie and James were another story. Misty directed them to the stream she had found, but Brock didn't even trust them to bathe.

"So what do you think we should do?" demanded Misty. "Go with them and make sure that they don't plan anything strange?" She got no response from Brock for awhile, but only because he genuinely considered the thought. "…Oh, wait! NOOOO, no-no! I'm not doing it! I am not doing it!"

Ten minutes later…

"…How did I manage to get suckered into this?" groaned Misty as she shared a bath with Jessie. The older woman smiled brightly, and scrubbed her feet daintily as the river washed her cares away.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" she smiled. "C'mon, it's fun! And the best way to take a bath is to sing! Belt it with me, baby!"

"No, don't sing!!!" screamed Misty, but it was too late. Jessie was already screaming out some form of unholy chaos, that sounded like a cross between nails on a chalkboard, a slaughterhouse for pigs, and a nursery full of screaming babies.

"Oh, give me a HOOOOOOOOOME, where the buffalo ROOOOAAAMMM!!!"

"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!!!!!"

Elsewhere…

"And the SKIES are not CLOUDY all DAAAAAYY!! Sing it with me, boys! Home, home on the RAAAANGE! Where the deer and the antelope GRAAAAAZE!!!"

"Ahhh, stop it!" screamed Ash as he tried to deafen himself. "That's enough! I've had enough!"

"Stop singing!" begged Brock. "I can't take it anymore! STOP!!!"

"Where seldom is HEAAAARRRD, a discouraging WORRRRRD!!!!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

---------------

"Did you hear something?" said Marion suddenly. Her ears had pricked up and caught a very distant sound, like somebody was screaming or dying or something.

"Like what?" asked her companion. She shrugged.

"I dunno. It sounds like all the souls of the netherworld are being released. Not all the Ghost Pokemon in the world could make that much terrible noise."

"What could it be?" Marion stared into the distance, her icy-blue eyes glazed over, and the wind played with her blonde hair as she spoke.

"I dunno… but it doesn't involve us. If it's somebody in pain, oh well. Our job is to find the stupid Pokemon master. Now what did those former Rocket morons blurt out the other day?"

"The Legendary Pokemon master is supposed to be living on a small, uninhabited continent that's roughly due northeast--or at least that's what I think they said." Marion nodded her head, and stood up from her resting spot so they could continue their journey.

"Well, then I guess we'd better leave, then. That crazy old coot isn't going to come with us. Lead on, since it seems you know the way." Morrison nodded his head, and lumbered off ahead of Marion as the two most lethal members of Team Rocket continued their search.

----------

Barely, just barely, Ash and Brock managed to crawl out of the river and cling onto the surface. They moaned in pain and horror, having both gone through a singing session more terrible than they could have imagined. James, on the other hand, was smiling brightly as he dried and dressed himself.

"Finally… we… made it!" groaned Ash.

"Just barely!" coughed Brock. "I thought my ears were gonna explode! That was the worst sound in the whole world! I'd rather have a pencil shoved in my skull than listen to that again!"

"Oh, cheer up, fellows!" smiled James brightly. "Now that we're all squeaky clean, what say we go find us a Pokemon master?"

"My ears need to stop ringing first," moaned poor Ash. He managed to crawl over to where he had placed his towel, and his Pigeotto used a small Gust to dry him. Brock took in a big relieved breath, and dressed so that he would be presentable when the girls showed up. James, on the other hand, was a little too chipper for his own good, but if one thought about it, they would understand why.

Along with his "lovely" cohort, James had been eliminated from the only home he had ever known, and a rather strict one at that. His entire history had been taken out from his feet, forcing him to stake out a survival in the "real world". At first he was cocky and arrogant, but soon even his spirit left him, and he began to grow desperate. In a weird twist of fate, the duo chanced upon their enemies, and though a fight seemed inevitable at first, Jessie and James "somehow" managed to convince Ash and the others to let them tag along.

James was overjoyed for a reason, that reason being that he was finally beginning to feel like he belonged somewhere. He could see the same feeling in Jessie's eyes: that somebody had accepted them, albeit with great reluctance, and that they had a purpose once again. To be called useless and trash was hurtful, especially to their pride, and to be of any help, even former enemies, was the greatest feeling that either former Rocket could ever experience.

It was true that the relationship Jessie had with her former enemies was flawed at best, and at the worst, bitter and savage. Her pride was her biggest hubris, but even she was willing to scrape her knees on the ground and beg for absolute mercy. She saw herself as fierce and independent, but even she could be afraid and uncertain. Her first night away from Team Rocket's safe quarters proved that she had a softer, more vulnerable side (no matter how temporary it was), and the show she put on proved that she could sacrifice her greatest strength for more immediate and important matters.

She knew that Misty distrusted and detested her, but as long as she was willing to have her around, Jessie didn't care if Misty was a murderer. Jessie needed to belong somewhere, whether in the Team Rocket organization or with the only people she would ever consider friends. It didn't matter that these same "friends" were suspicious of her actions--just as long as she had a place to belong to, it really didn't matter.

Relaxing in the sun, she let out a sigh and contemplated where they would all go after that. She had overheard just as much as her partner, and had a vague idea as to where this Pokemon Master was, but other than what she had heard, she knew nothing. All the Pokemon books, indexes, and guides in the world would not offer much more concerning the old master, and unless they went somewhere like an old research building (which would have information about the first batch of Pokemon researchers), they would have to play everything by ear.

"Ahhh… what a day…" she sighed to herself. Misty, who had dressed completely, looked down at her adversary in slight bemusement.

"What do you mean? Hey, aren't you rested up enough? Isn't it about time we moved on?"

"Mm, be quiet, girl," sighed Jessie as she waved her hand at the younger girl. "There's no reason to hurry. Nobody knows where exactly the Pokemon master lives, so we might as well take our time."

"But what about those other people?! Aren't they after us?"

"No, they're after the same thing we are," she murmured lazily. "But I wouldn't worry about them. They probably know as much as we do."

"But if your boss told them to--"

"Former boss, dear."

"Whatever! If your old boss told them to go after this guy, don't you think that he would give them as much information as he could?" Jessie shrugged, and removed her sunglasses so she could look directly into Misty's eyes.

"Yeah… but that info's bound to be outdated. I mean, James and I snuck a peek at a few of the files once, and we read that the old guy was living in a town near Viridian, but that was like ten years ago. He's probably off somewhere else by now."

"But the continent James told us about--"

"Only a boat could get there, or else a strong flying Pokemon," yawned Jessie. She rolled over on her stomach, exposing her back to the sky before continuing. "And unless you have one, we're going to have to find a city with a port. I think the nearest one's twelve miles away, a good three-hour walk, and by the time we get there, we may have to wait another day for a boat. So either way, we shouldn't hurry."

"But…!" Misty stopped before she could say another word, sighed wearily, and sat down on a stump. Jessie smiled, took in a relaxing breath, and groaned it out in contentment. There really was no use hurrying, and besides, their ruthless rivals were in just as much darkness as they were.

----------

"When does the next boat leave, sir?" asked Morrison. He was towering over the ticket master, standing out from the crowd of shorter people and making his presence known. It had not been long ago since he and Marion had arrived in the large port town, and since they found reliable directions to the continent that Jessie and James had mentioned the other day, they would have to find a boat. The ticket master, who wasn't exactly used to talking to people who were over two meters tall, swallowed and checked the schedule.

"Says here that the boat leaves tomorrow, at 9 in the morning. I'll open up three hours before that time, so if you want to buy tickets, you may have to come early."

"That won't be necessary, sir," said Morrison in his deep bass voice. He pulled out his Team Rocket badge, his access to just about anything in the world, and showed it to the ticket master. "I believe this will do for a payment."

"Oh, yes, uh, it will," managed the master as he saw the badge. He knew better than to argue against a Rocket, especially one who was two feet taller than he was. "Yes, that will do nicely! Uh, how many do you need?"

"Two, please." The manager smiled and wrote their names down on his reserve list.

"Yes, two tickets for Mr. Morrison Glidden and Ms. Marion Burke! I've got it down! I guess I'll see you both tomorrow morning, bright and early!"

"I guess you will," agreed Morrison. "Well, take care, sir. It was good doing business with you, sir." Morrison grinned, showing off his steel teeth, and left the ticket booth as quietly as he came there. He lumbered off towards an outdoor café, and resigned himself to waiting until the next day. Giovanni had hired him and his partner to find the Legendary Pokemon Master, but he never forbade recreating in their spare time.

"It looks like we have half a day to waste, ma'am," he said as he sat down at a table and ordered coffee. Marion sighed and blew her long yellowy hair out of her face.

"Why do you do that, Moe?"

"Do what?"

"Act so polite. Why do you do it? You treat everybody with good manners, yet you're one of the world's deadliest killers. I don't understand." Morrison was silent for awhile, as he brought his cup of coffee from the table to his mouth and drank.

"Just because I have barbaric methods of slaughter, does not give me the right to act that way elsewhere. My business and my recreation are two different places, and so I must act accordingly. I've merely been brought up that way. You?"

"I'd rather not talk about my past," she said lazily. "Just because I'm working with you, that doesn't mean that we have to get chummy. Understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good," she said with a dark smile. "Anyway, at least I got paired up with somebody who knows what they're doing."

"Same here," he said as he drank. "But on a completely different topic, you know that our foolish predecessors are going to come here soon."

"Yeah, I know," she said with an evil grin. "In fact, I look forward to it. You might have something against fighting in a town full of people, but I really could care less."

"Work is work," said Morrison with a shrug. "I'm just as prepared as you are."

"Then let them come," she purred with a smile of villainy. "I could use a nice battle, anyway."

---------------

Eventually, Jessie and James found themselves rested up enough to resume their twelve-mile hike to the nearest port city. Both former Rockets were surprisingly chipper, smiling and linking elbows together as they led Ash and his friends towards the town. However, their younger companions were nowhere near as jovial, and in fact, they suspected their former enemies even more now that they were so upbeat. Personally, Brock couldn't understand why they were acting like that, and swore that they were both up to no good. Misty, however, kept her head, and reminded him that by the time they all arrived at the town, Jessie and James would be tired once again.

It was hard trusting the two of them, since they had done nothing but ruin the day for Ash, Misty, and Brock while they were still with Team Rocket. Jessie and James were pests and annoyances, but hardly a true threat unless conditions saw otherwise. They were mostly in the way of progress, popping up at the worst times and singing out their tired old motto, and then they would go try and capture Pikachu or whatever Pokemon happened to be nearby. They had been enemies and irritations now for years, it seemed, and to trust them on a whim was difficult.

Jessie and James, however, put their complete trust in Ash and his friends. They didn't exactly love them all, but if it came down to choosing between staying with them and venturing out on their own, then they would've chosen those three. It wasn't as if they had any other choices, either: it was either trust the trio or go solo, and Jessie and James weren't used to working on their own. Besides, half their jollity was there because Meowth was not.

Three agonizing hours later--agonizing because Jessie and James never tired out like Misty predicted--the group finally came to the town with a port. The former Rockets smiled proudly and smelled the distant sea air, and Pikachu perched on top of Ash's head so he could get a good view. The ocean could be seen as a large strip of sparkling blue, with a chain of bluish-gray mountains off to the side. The town was spread out before them like a dinner table, and in the light of the late afternoon sun, it was as beautiful as the body of water.

"Ah, finally!" exclaimed Ash. "I didn't think we'd ever make it here!"

"Come come now, boy!" smiled a proud James. "Was there ever a doubt in your mind?"

"YES!! Ugh… I'm tired…"

"Tired? But we just had a nice long rest! And besides, we only walked for three hours!"

"Be quiet," moaned Ash, who was not quite used to other people giving him his own advice. "Ughn, I'm exhausted…" James sighed, and gave his partner an exasperated look; she returned it wearily.

"Ahh… what can you do?" he asked. She agreed.

"Mm-hm. Listen, kids, the boat leaves tomorrow, so we can have all the rest we need. James, why don't you find us a good hotel, and I'm going to buy us some food so we don't all starve."

"Capital idea, Jessica!" he smiled. The halfway-crazy young man pointed himself in the direction of the nearest hotel, and because Brock still didn't trust him, he followed suit. Meanwhile, Misty kept her eye on Jessie as she went to buy food, and with both ex-Rockets accounted for, Ash sighed out with ultimate weariness. He sagged to the ground, moaning out of pure exhaustion, and nearly crumbled to pieces on the pavement.

"Ugh… what a day…" Pikachu agreed, and through some extraordinary miracle, Ash was able to stand up and find a seat. He was at least thankful that it was a peaceful day, because he was in no shape to fight off any wild Pokemon or any bizarre new agents from Team Rocket. Little did he know, of course, that two of the organization's most lethal members were but a few tables away…