"The Turning Point"

Written By: Pikaslide

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon and/or characters. The songs and album titles belong to the respected artists not me. So, please don't sue me.

Note: Most poke-talk it is written in English. This is my first serious attempt at a fic, some of the situations aren't very realistic, but then, that's why we call it fiction, right?

Rated: PG-13

Ash: 18 Misty: 19 Brock: 21 Jessie: 22 James: 22

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It was just another dreary night for the members of Team Rocket. The weather hadn’t let up for the past three days now and they’ve been on the road the whole time. Giovani instructed them to go to Pallet Town, using his personal Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, and kidnap Ash’s mother. The way he was figuring, Ash would give up all of his pokemon to keep his mother safe. The thing he didn’t think of was the weather. The Jeep, luckily for Jessie and James, had full off-road tires, so they didn’t have to slow down very much for the rain. They were about to cross into the Safari Zone when all of a sudden something bolted out in front of them. James hooked the wheel just in time to miss the creature, however he was too busy to notice the person running behind the pokemon. He hit the person head on with the Jeep at fifty miles an hour. The lifeless body flew through the air and back into the forest. The pokemon was standing on the side of the road; it was a Pikachu. Soon after the accident two more people came running out of the forest, they were Brock and Misty. Misty screamed when she saw the front end of the white Jeep, caved in and covered with blood. There was a red and white pokemon league hat resting against the windshield. Brock grabbed Misty as her legs gave out in her terror. After he picked her up he caught sight of the Jeep and yelled, "ASH, NO!!!"

James put the Jeep into park and looked at Jessie, "Are you alright!?"

She turned to him wide eyed, "I’m okay at the moment, but we won’t be so good when Giovanni gets his truck back. I don’t think that Ash got off as easily as we will though."

James looked back at her and said, "How do you know that that was Ash?"

She frowned as she confirmed what she was about to say; "If you look out the front you’ll see a hat resting against the windshield."

James looked, "What have I done?" He kicked the door open and ran out into the woods looking for Ash. He found him resting in a bloody heap against an oak tree. He had a gash running from just under his right ear to the middle of his chest and his left leg was bent in the wrong direction (He could touch his hip with his toes.) Brock, Misty, and Jessie ran after James with hate, tears, and fear in their eyes. Ash tried to say something but all he could do was cough up blood. James was trying to hold back his own feelings at the sight of these wounds. Soon the others caught up with James, ready to put Ash into the back end of the Jeep. Brock had pulled a tarp out of his backpack and set it down next to Ash. They all helped to move him onto it, then carried Ash back to the Jeep and placed him inside. Everyone got in. Misty jumped in back holding Ash’s hand. Brock got in the drivers’ seat and started the engine. James jumped into the passenger seat and Jessie was sitting in the back reaching over the seat to holding Ash’s other hand. Brock said, "Everyone belted in?"

Then the CB radio clicked on, it was Giovanni. "James, if you’re there pick up the mic."

James reached down and picked it up, "Yes sir, I’m here. I can’t talk right now, we’re on our way to the hospital."

Giovanni came back on, "Why are you going there? Did something happen to Jessie?"

James was getting irked, "Sir, we ran into a pedestrian in the outskirts of the Safari Zone, it was Ash."

Giovanni laughed into the radio, "What are you talking about, that’s the best news I’ve heard all day. Someone finally took out that little brat. You two will receive a full commendation when you get back." When he finished the only sound was sobbing coming from the back of the Jeep.

James finally worked up enough anger over the years and let Giovanni have it. "I ran into Ash by accident, I was dodging his pokemon, unfortunately I was doing fifty. To tell the truth I’ve kinda become a friend of his. Giovanni, I have held back my true feelings about you for years. I personally think that you’re an overbearing pompous dick. The only reason I stayed with Team Rocket is because I was teamed up with Jessie." Brock stomped on the gas, James looked up, "Hey, take it easy big guy, you don’t want to hurt Ash anymore than he already is." Brock nodded; Ash was more like a brother/son to him than a friend. He was going to get him to the hospital as fast as he could no matter what.

Giovanni's voice once again rang through the Jeeps interior, "James, I will give you one last chance to stay in Team Rocket, but you’ll be shamed by your fellow members for the rest of your life for what you’ve said to me."

James smiled, "Giovanni there is nothing that you can say or do to me to make me feel any worse than I do right now. I may have just killed one of the best friends I’ve ever had. By the way do you still want you’re Jeep back?"

"Not a chance James. You wrecked it you’re paying for it."

Brock finally broke his silence with a dark and irritated tone, "James, if Giovanni has a problem with the condition of his Jeep, tell him that he can take it up with me. This time he’s gone too far and now it’s personal." James was speechless, seeing Brock this mad was extremely unnerving, Brock had enough adrenaline running through his system he probably could have lifted the Jeep onto two wheels.

James came back to the radio, "In that case, thanks for the free car. This is James signing off permanently." James looked at Jessie, then at Brock, and smiled. He reached down and ripped the radio out from under the dashboard then threw it out the window. Jessie and Misty were trying to keep Ash from going to sleep. If he did he would probably not survive.

Twenty minutes later they made it to the hospital. Brock backed the Jeep right up to the emergency doors. The nurse behind the counter jumped up and said, "Hey, you can’t park there!"

Brock, trying not to let his fury out on the nurse said, "I’ll be moved in a minute. Get the best doctor you have down here right now."

The nurse turned to him and said, "You’ll have to fill out the proper forms before we can take your friend in."

Brocks patience was wearing thin, he opened the hatch on the Jeep, blocking the automatic doors completely, "I said, get the doctor, NOW!!!"

The nurse saw Ash lying lifeless in the back end, covered in blood and said, "Right away Sir!" She picked up the phone and said in a panicked voice, "Dr. Robinson please come down to the sign in office, we have an emergency!"

He came running out of the elevator with a gurney in hand and said, "Where’s the patient nur…" He saw Ash and pushed the gurney over to Brock who was ready to load Ash on. The doctor grabbed the microphone and said, "We need all available medical staff to meet in emergency!"

Brock was running with the bed and called out, "James, would you please move the Jeep for the nice nurse?" James did as he was asked and parked it in the driveway under the buildings overhang.

After a few minutes of sitting in the vehicle of destruction, James got out and asked the women to stay inside. He walked around front and pulled Ash’s hat off of the windshield, he was holding the hat close to his heart as he fell to his knees and started to cry. He may have killed one of the most forgiving people he had ever known. After a few minutes he wiped the tears from his eyes and stood up to evaluate the damage done to the Jeep. It had a two-foot by three-inch indentation from Ash’s torso in the middle of the front end. When James saw this he started to feel sick again. Misty and Jessie were standing behind the Jeep now; Jessie was trying to comfort Misty. It wasn’t working very well; Misty was just too upset. Pikachu was wailing in her arms. This did not help things to calm down any. James heard the commotion and went around back. He walked up behind Jessie and said, "I want you to see something."

She turned around and said, "What is it James?"

James literally tore his Team Rocket uniform shirt off and said as he set it ablaze with the cigarette lighter from the Jeep, "From this day on I am no longer a member of Team Rocket."

Jessie took off her overshirt and threw it on top of James’ burning outfit and said, "I am no longer a member of Team Rocket either."

James walked around the Jeep and peeled off the two red "R’s" from the sides and said, "Since this Jeep belongs us I guess we don’t need these anymore. Giovanni’ll have to find someone else to do his dirty work." Pikachu jumped up and gave James a hug. He half expected to feel ten thousand plus volts of electricity surging through his body, but fortunately for him, this was a sign of affection not hate. James handed Pikachu back to Misty who hugged him as if he were her safety blanket.

Everyone went inside and found Brock sitting in a chair with his face buried in his hands. Misty sat down on the arm of the chair and put her arms around Brock while crying into the back of his shoulder. Pikachu leapt to the floor and walked over to where Jessie was sitting and jumped up into her lap. He gave her a hug and started to cry out for Ash. Jessie put her arms around Pikachu and lifted him up so he could put his head on her shoulder. The two of them just sat like that for the next twenty minutes. After that they fell asleep. When Brock stopped crying Misty was asleep with her arms still around him. He picked her up and laid her down on the couch. He turned to James who was standing next to the door staring outside and said, "James, would you follow me for a minute, we need to talk." James' expression turned to one of worry, he saw how Brock reacted earlier when he was extremely mad, he didn’t want to be alone if he let loose on him, but he went outside anyway.

The two of them walked out and leaned against the Jeep. James spoke up first, "Brock, I just want to say one thing before…well, before you beat me into a bloody pulp. I was not trying to hit Ash; I was dodging Pikachu when he ran out in front of me, unfortunately Ash wasn’t as lucky, I didn’t see him in time…That’s all I wanted to say…You can pound me now." He clamped his eyes shut, expecting to be pounded into the ground, but instead a reassuring hand patted his shoulder. James opened one eye and said timidly, "I’m still alive?" He looked at Brock who was now lying on the ground laughing. James put his hands on his hips and said, "What’s so funny?" Brock settled down a little and stood up to face James. James was worried, now Brock had a very solemn look on his face.

"James, I wasn’t bringing you out here to kill you, I really do just want to talk. I was thinking about what happened…this accident wasn’t you’re fault. There was nobody at fault, the rain, fog, and darkness all played parts in the situation." James felt a chill run from his feet to the top of his spine.

"No, I still feel like it was my fault. I should have kept going straight, if I did I wouldn’t have hit either of them. Pikachu was already off the road when I swerved. I…" He started to break up.

"James, what did you mean when you told Giovanni that Ash may be one of your best friends?"

James got a hold of himself and said, "The reason we’ve been following you isn’t because we want Pikachu; it’s because we wanted to be part of your group."

Brock nodded in approval and then started to get a look of curiosity on his face, "I just thought about something, where’s Meowth?"

James smiled, "He’s on his own mission. Besides, he’s Giovanni’s pokemon, not mine."

Brock half smiled and said, "Let’s go inside and check in on the ladies." James and Brock walked back inside to find Pikachu sitting by himself. "Pikachu, where did Misty and Jessie go?" inquired Brock. He lifted his arm and pointed towards the ladies room. Brock sat down next to him and said, "Are you alright Pikachu?" He shook his head.

James walked over to the tear stained pokemon and said, "Pikachu, do you think we can go up and see Ash?" Again, Pikachu shook his head.

The nurse suddenly spoke up from behind the counter, "Brock, you still need to fill out the registration forms." Brock walked over to the desk and took the papers so he could check Ash into the hospital. Misty came out of the rest room just before Jessie. They had gone in to wash the tears from their faces. After about an hour Brock finished filling out the papers and returned them to the nurse. The nurse said quietly to Brock, "If you want, you can go in two at a time and see how your friend’s doing. He’s in room #375…I hope he’s doing alright."

"Thank you. I’m sorry about the way I acted when I first arrived here." She nodded as he walked over to Misty and said, "I was just told we are allowed to go up in pairs to see Ash."

Misty stood up when he said "see Ash" and she said, "Let’s go Brock!"

Brock looked over at James, who was still clutching Ash’s hat, and said, "We’ll be back in a little while." James did a small wave as Brock and Misty walked into the elevator.

They went to the third floor and found the Doctor that had helped their friend earlier, sitting at his desk. Misty kept walking towards the room where Ash was resting, while Brock paused to talk with Dr. Robinson. "Dr. Robinson, what’s the news on Ash?"

He looked at Brock and said, "Well, there’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that he will survive the accident without any brain damage. The bad news is that he may never have full use of his leg again." Brock’s eyes were wide open (For once ^_^) at the news about Ash’s leg.

"Thank you for the information, but I better catch up with Misty." Misty arrived at the room and then she realized that she was completely scared for him, she didn’t care about the way anyone else felt, she had a feeling inside her heart that had only grown stronger over the years. Nothing else mattered to her but his safety. Brock ran up and stopped next to her. They opened the door together and were both taken back at what they saw inside. Ash was sleeping, but he had stitches running from under his right ear to the middle of his chest. His heart was beating normally according to the monitor. His breathing was slow and easy, but slightly pained when he took a deep breath. His broken leg was three different shades of blue and violet and was also swelled up to about twice its normal size. He had a pressure bandage wrapped around his lower rib cage. According to his chart he had four broken ribs, two cracked, and two bruised. Misty gripped his hand and said, "Ash, if you can hear me, could you open your eyes for me?"

Ash moved his head so that he was facing her and said in a weak voice, "I’d stop the world for you Misty," and made an attempt at smiling. Misty leaned over and kissed him on the lips. His eyes were wide open now. Brock walked around to the other side of the bed and said, "Do you remember anything that happened?" Ash didn’t turn his head because his neck hurt too much if he turned it to the right.

"I know I was hit by a car. Other than that I have no clue." Half an hour later, when Brock finished filling him in on the current events, Ash said, "Is there somethin’ wrong with my left leg? I can’t feel it."

Misty snickered, "I think you could safely say that. When we found you your leg was turned in the wrong direction and twisted around on top of your right leg." Ash cringed at the description but let her continue talking. "Would you like me to send in our new friends?" Misty asked.

Ash smiled, "Not yet. I want to talk to my favorite pokemon first."

Brock turned around and said, "I’ll go get him." As Brock walked out the door, Misty sat down next to Ash on the bed. She then leaned down and kissed him again. Ash looked into her eyes and said, "Misty, I have wanted to tell you something for years. But, I’ve always been too scared to say it…"

Misty interrupted, "You can tell me anything you want to Ash. You’ve always been there for me, now I’ll be here for you."

Ash had a concerned look on his face, "Misty, I…I…*sigh* I’m having trouble saying this…*deep breath* Misty, I love you." She was silent for a minute, while trying to find the right words.

Finally she spoke up in a caring tone, "I love you too, Ash……I-I’ve kept my feelings towards you bottled up since we started our journey, because I was afraid that…that you might laugh at me or kick me out our group." Ash tried to give her a hug to comfort her, but his injuries were too painful for him to reach over. She realized what he was trying to do and reached around him and gave him a soft hug, so as not to hurt his ribs. When they released each other, Misty laid down next to him. They started hugging and kissing softly until Brock opened the door with a smirk on his face.

"I had a feeling that this was gonna to happen someday." Pikachu leapt from Brocks arms to Ash’s bed. He stood between the two lovebirds and stared at Ash's face. Ash tried to smile at his first pokemon, but he held it back, Pikachu wasn’t sure if Ash was mad at him for running off or if he was just messing around. He reached over with his free hand and patted him lightly on his head. Pikachu was happy to receive some sign of affection from his trainer, after all, Ash was chasing him when he was hit by the truck.

"It’s alright Pikachu. What’s done is done. It wasn’t your fault anyway, I should have paid more attention to the flow of traffic." Pikachu had tears in his eyes, seeing his trainer in pain was too much for him to bear. Ash scooped him off his feet and placed him on his spare pillow. Pikachu walked around in a circle a few times before lying down with his chin on Ash’s forehead.

Brock laughed, "I think Pikachu still feels a little guilty." Brock pulled out his camera and took a couple of pictures of Ash and Pikachus 'Kodak moment'. "These'll make great pictures for our scrap book." Ash reached over his head with his right hand and laid it on Pikachu’s back, gently petting his worried pokemon. Misty had fallen asleep while lying next to Ash; she had her left arm resting on Ash’s chest. Ash tried to wake her up so that he could see Jessie and James, "Misty…" he said softly, "Misty, I have to talk to…" he stopped himself and thought for a moment and said, "Why am I trying to wake her up, let Jessie and James come in separately."

Brock took the elevator back down to the lobby and said to his worried companions, "If you want to see Ash you’ll have to go in one at a time, Misty is sleeping in the bed with Ash and we don’t want to disturb her from her peace and happiness. Besides, one more hit from her mallet today and I'm gonna need my own room."

Jessie smiled, "So, Misty finally realized…" She paused mid sentence and blushed. Jessie turned to James, "James, I think you should go in first." He nodded and stood up to go with Brock. Jessie reached out and grabbed James’ arm, "Hey wait a minute, I’m coming too, I’ll wait outside with Brock."

The three friends went up stairs to talk for a little while with Ash. Brock said with a strange seriousness in his voice, "He can’t move his body very much so don’t walk around behind him." James nodded and walked inside.

Ash waved with his right hand and said painfully, "Hi James, how are you recovering? Is Jessie alright?"

James smiled and said, "Ash, Jessie and I are fine, we have done nothing but worry about you since we arrived. Oh, by the way, I found this lying on the hood."

He handed him his pokemon league hat and Ash snickered, "Well I guess this is the end of your ‘Rocketeering’ days, huh? Thank you for bringing my hat back."

"How did you know that we quit the team?"

"Brock filled me in on the details that occurred after the accident."

James perked up slightly and said, "Ash, I want to make up for all the trouble we put you through. Pikachu and I have already made amends, but I…"

Ash stopped James before he could finish, "James, your friendship alone is enough for me. Are you planning on settling down now that you’re off the team?"

James laughed and scratched the back of his head, "Well…I’m not sure if Jessie really cares about me, she seems to at times but I can never seem to find the right time to say anything."

"James, would you do me a favor?"

He nodded, "Anything, your wish is my command."

"When you go outside I want you to give Jessie a kiss on the lips and say ‘I love you Jessica.’"

James was completely surprised, "Ash, what if…"

"What if nothing. You love her James. Prove it to her. Make her feel loved."

"Thank you Ash. I’ll come back later when everyone’s asleep, to let you know how things went."

He waved goodbye, "See ya’ later James." James walked out of the room and did exactly what Ash told him to do. Jessie just stood there with her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open.

"James, I…I…" Jessie threw her arms around him and said with tears in her eyes, "I love you too James." When they released Jessie walked into the room and shut the door behind her. While wiping tears from her eyes, she said, "Ash, you told him to do that, didn’t you?"

Ash smiled, "Yea, I made him promise that he’d do it. Misty and I got together because I decided to just come out and say what I felt."

Jessie walked up to Ash and held his left hand in both of her hands then said, "Thank you Ash, I needed to hear that. James was right, you are a good friend." She took one of her hands off of his and reached out and softly rubbed Pikachu’s head. She smiled at him because he started to turn his head toward her when she rubbed behind his ear. Jessie said, "Well Ash, I hope you feel better tomorrow. I’m not sure but I think that Brock, James, and I are going to find a room at a hotel for tonight. We’ll be back tomorrow to visit."

He nodded, "I’ll see you then. Good night Jessie." Ash’s smile faded as he began to feel even more pain coming from his wounds.

He called for the nurse, five minutes later; she walked in and said, "Is there something wrong?"

Ash cringed at the pain he was feeling and said, "I think that the anesthesia has worn off." She walked around the bed and set a small handle with a button on it in his hand.

She smiled, "Whenever the medication wears off press this button and you’ll feel a cooling sensation in your right arm. Then hopefully the pain will go away completely for about four hours." Ash smiled when he hit the button, she was right it felt cool and he started to feel very loose. Misty opened her eyes when the door shut behind the nurse.

She looked up at the clock; it read 12:45am, "Ash, are you awake?"

He looked at Misty with a smile on his face and said, "I’m awake, but I’m a little spaced from the medication."

Misty laughed and said, "I’m glad we shared our feelings for each other. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for someone to say those words to me." Ash turned his head a little more so he was looking directly into her beautiful hazel eyes.

"Misty, there is nothing anyone can say or do to change the way that I feel about you. I love you and that’s the truth." The fact that he honestly loved her made her so happy, she felt like she was in the middle of an euphoric dream. Ash slowly reached back with his right hand and began to pet Pikachu softly. Misty was crying into Ash’s shoulder, she just realized how close she had come to losing the one person that loved her as much as she loved him. After a few minutes they fell asleep holding each other close.

In the morning Jessie, James, and Brock, woke up to the sound of the telephone ringing. James answered it. On the other end was the lady from the front desk giving them their wakeup call. They all got up and packed their things into the Jeep. Brock said, "I’ll go pay for the room, be back in a few."

James caught him by the shoulder, "Wait a minute, I don’t think you should pay for anything. After what we put you and your friends through we owe you at least this much. James handed him more than enough money to pay and said, "Keep the change Brock. You’ll need it for Ash." Brock nodded and walked over to the office and paid. When he walked outside he found Jessie and James sitting in the Jeep waiting for him. James was sitting in the passenger seat and Jessie was in the back.

Brock sat down in the driver's seat and said, "Where to?"

"Let’s go to the hospital, I want to see how things worked out with Ash and Misty," Jessie suggested.

Brock laughed and said, "In that case we should probably wait a few more hours. I have a feeling that they’re too tired out from last night to be awake right now."

James piped in, "How about finding some doughnuts or something? I don’t know about anyone else but I’m hungry."

Brock nodded, "After we eat, let’s find a car wash and get this thing cleaned up, inside and out." Everyone agreed so they set out to find a restaurant.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Ash was waking up. He opened his eyes and found Misty watching him. He smiled and said, "Good morning Misty." Ash pulled her close to kiss her and said, "I hope that the next time we decide to speak our true feelings about one another, it’s in a situation that doesn’t involve anyone getting hit with a car."

She laughed, "Amen. But if that's what it takes, I'll volunteer. But, personally I would rather just sit down and talk about it." Ash smiled and Misty rolled over so that her head was resting just under his chin. Ash was thinking to himself, "Man this hurts, but I’m not going to say anything. I love Misty too much to tell her to back up a little." Ash reached over and pressed the relief button. Within seconds he could no longer feel the pain from her lying on him. She looked over at Pikachu, who at some point throughout the night had made it down to Ash’s right side. Pikachu was lying against his trainer’s side with Ash’s hand resting on his back. He had a little smile on his face but was sound asleep. Misty smiled and yawned as she said, "I think Pikachu still feels responsible." Ash lifted his head to look and when he saw Pikachu he just snickered and laid back down. Misty had fallen asleep again moments later, but this time there was a satisfied expression on her face instead of a worried one.

After breakfast, the three friends went over to the hand car wash. They all got out and began to clean. Brock picked up the pressure wash nozzle and began to rinse down the Jeep. There was dried blood all over the front end; the sight of it reminded him of the terror he felt when he saw it in raw the night before. Brock shuttered at the memories and tried to push them out of his head. Jessie was pulling the tarp out of a garbage bag so that Brock could rinse it. While they were busy cleaning the outside, James was inside shampooing the carpet. After a few hours they had finished cleaning, drying and waxing the Jeep. After packing up their supplies they left to find a gas station to fill up and get drinks. When James came back from paying for the gas and drinks he said, "Where are we going now? To the hospital?"

Jessie said, "To the hospital."

Brock shrugged and said in a cynical tone, "To the hospital." Eventually, they pulled into the visitor parking lot and stopped, it was starting to rain again and it was only one in the afternoon. Brock parked as close to the entrance as possible. Everyone ran toward the building, when they made it to the overhang they all looked at each other and started to laugh. James smiled and said, "I haven’t run through the rain for fun since I was twelve." Brock looked at Jessie and his eyes opened a little wider than usual (That wouldn't take much ^_^). James did the same. Jessie slammed them both in the head with her mysterious disappearing fans and said, a little unnerved by the look from Brock, "What are you two gawking at?"

James had a big grin on his face when he said, "Jessie, you’re even more beautiful when you’re hair’s wet."

Jessie was a little taken back but managed to say, "Thank you James." She pulled out a small hand mirror from her purse and said, "You two like it when my hair’s curly?" They both nodded and said, "Yes." They were starting to stare again but this time instead of slamming them, she let them stare as she strutted inside the lobby, hips swinging all the way. The two of them stood outside for a moment then they suddenly snapped back to reality and ran inside after her. They caught up to her as she was getting on the elevator.

"Wait for us Jessie!" hollered James. They all went up together and found a note on the door that read, "Jessie, James, Brock, I was told that I am not permitted to have any visitors. I’m sorry, Dr. Robinson’s orders. Your Friend, Ash." Brock sat down and thought to himself, "Why wouldn’t they let Ash have any visitors? But more importantly, where’s Misty and Pikachu?" Then he jumped up and said, "Jessie, James, that note’s a fake! That isn’t even Ash’s handwriting. It’s not Misty’s either."

Jessie’s eyes opened wide as she looked to her partner, "He wouldn’t have…I mean, for Gods sake, he’s in the hospital?" Tears of fear started to whelm up into her eyes.

James said, "Brock, we have a feeling that that S.O.B. sent some of the other representatives of Team Rocket to kill Ash." Brock turned and kicked the door down and found Misty lying on the bed with her hands tied together. She had small cuts all over her body, her clothes were mostly shredded, and the window was shattered all over the bed and floor. Brock ran over to her and rolled her over, she was awake but she had duct tape across her mouth. He untied her hands so she could take the tape off. While she was carefully trying not to peel her lips off with the tape while Brock was untying her feet.

She threw her arms around Brock’s neck and said, "Thank God you’re here, he took Ash. Pikachu’s under the bed. The man that came in was Giovanni. He was not happy when he left; Pikachu hit him with a thunder attack that was so strong he almost made himself pass out. Gio threw Pikachu to the ground after the electric effects went away and kicked him very hard in the stomach. Ash was screaming at Giovanni for what he did. Then he picked Ash up by the waist like he was going to try and crush him but just as he started to squeeze Ash got off a full right cross, Giovanni was down with a broken nose but not out cold. Ash obviously can’t run so I…I…" Misty was breaking up. Brock wrapped his arms around her so she didn’t fall down. James walked around and tried to find some evidence so he could incriminate Giovanni.

Suddenly he said, "Hey, Pikachu has his wallet and ring under the bed." James reached under the bed to pull his friends fallen pokemon out and handed him to Brock.

Jessie said, "What can I do to help?"

James turned to her and said, "You can help me find Dr. Robinson." They ran off to find him and Brock stayed behind with Misty.

"Brock, go call Officer Jenny. She’ll come immediately if she knows we’re involved" Brock nodded and walked out of the room holding Pikachu in his arms. He picked up the receiver to the videophone and dialed her number.

Jenny’s smiling face appeared on the screen and she said, "Hi Brock, it’s been a while hasn’t it?"

"Yea, it feels like forever. Jenny I have a question for you. Could you please meet me at the hospital? Giovanni has kidnapped…" Her picture disappeared from the screen. Twenty seconds later Brock gave up and hung up the phone. All of a sudden, he heard her calling out for him. "Over here Jenny!" Brock answered. She was running down the hallway, wearing a pair of jeans and a black spaghetti strap top, she came around the corner to find Brock waiting by the phone.

"Which room was he in?" She had about thirty of her fellow officers following her. He led them to Ash’s room. Misty was sitting on the bed while the doctor was tending to her wounds. Jessie and James were standing behind him holding each other. Officer Jenny said, "Where’s the evidence?" James said, "Right under the bed. It’s his wallet and ring."

Brock turned to Jenny, "We have to save Ash! Giovanni will kill him just to…"

Jenny said, "What is it Brock?"

Brock shook his head, "He took Ash, but almost killed Pikachu. That doesn’t make any sense. He always…James, where’s Team Rocket’s hideout!?" James jumped at hearing his name yelled out by Brock, remembering his fury from earlier.

"Let’s get to the Jeep I’ll tell you on the way."

Brock, James, and Jenny were running out to the Jeep when Jenny said, "Stop! I have to swear you in. This’ll be a little different for you James, but I think you’ll enjoy the perks." They paused for a minute so Jenny could swear them in and give them their badges. They got in the Jeep and just as Brock was about to start the engine Jenny yelled, "STOP!!! I smell something." They all jumped out and found a three-inch hole drilled in the gas tank. Jenny said, "We can take my squad car. Brock, here, take the keys. I want to be able to use both hands to shoot, just in case." They got in the black Caprice and started toward the road with the tires smoking. Jenny laughed and said, "You’ll fit right in with the department Brock." James kept them going in the right direction until they pulled up in front of a mansion with a gigantic red "R" painted on the front.

James turned to his former enemy, "This is the main Team Rocket headquarters Jenny. They won’t upgrade the coding computers for another two weeks, so we can still get in under my old membership." Brock turned off the headlights and pulled up to the gatehouse. The guard came out wearing what looked to be a standard guard uniform with the exception of the red "R" on it. Instead of having the county symbol in the middle of his badge he had another "R." James waved his pass out the window. The guard took the pass, shined his flashlight at it, handed it back and said, "Welcome home James. By the way, what happened last night? Is Jessie alright?"

James smiled at his old friend and said, "Jessie’s fine. I physically ran into Ash with the boss’ Jeep and he, uh…upset me to say the least. When he told me that that was the best news he had heard all day, I lost it. So, I said what I always wanted to say."

The guard snickered when he thought about what James had said to the boss, "I was laughing so hard last night I was in tears rolling on the floor. You better get inside before the boss calls down here and asks who’s coming in." Brock drove in slowly so's not to raise any suspicion. As the gate came back down James heard the guard say, "Don’t worry James, I won’t tell him that it was you!" The driveway snaked back and forth up to the house. Brock pulled into a parking place and got out of the car. As he walked around, he opened the back door for James and the passenger door for Jenny.

Officer Jenny laughed lightly at the unusual courtesy and said, "Why thank you Brock. Would you mind opening the trunk for me?" Brock walked around and lifted the trunk lid to reveal a complete array of field weapons. Jenny grabbed a twelve-gauge Special Forces shotgun and couple .38 specials. James picked up two .357 magnums and Brock went for three of the higher-powered pistols and a pair of brass knuckles. They found some Team Rocket uniforms that had just been returned from the dry cleaners. They each took one complete set and put them on over their street clothes. Jenny turned to her new deputies and said with a smile on her face, "I have never felt this out of uniform since I started with the department. Are you guys ready for the perks that I was referring to earlier?"

They nodded at her and said together with a salute, "Yes, ma’am."

She snickered, "Well I’m glad to hear it. If there are any problems shoot to kill. You guys have had some target practice I trust." They nodded again. "Let’s move out."

James smiled and said, "With all due respect, Jenny, I think I should be leading since I am a former member and know my way around this place."

Jenny laughed and said, "I’m sorry James, I forgot where we are. Go for it, you’re team captain for now." The group began to walk towards Giovanni’s office, they could hear him talking to Ash. James turned to Jenny to ask for instructions and when he did she handed he and Brock silencers for their pistols. James pulled one of the .357’s out and hooked it up. Brock nodded and smirked as he screwed the silencers on to the tips of two .50 caliber Desert Eagles. He always carried a .380 in his back pocket for his own extreme emergencies. He pulled it out figuring that if Giovanni tried anything vicious, he could pull out one of the .50’s and end the battle. Jenny pulled out her shotgun and said, "Let’s go."

James remembered something, "Hold on a sec., shouldn’t we be out of uniform?"

They all quickly took off the Team Rocket uniforms and Jenny said, "Ready?" James and Brock both said at the same time, "Let’s make some noise." Jenny kicked the giant doors in, but to their surprise, Giovanni was behind his desk laughing. They noticed that Ash was lying on the floor, bleeding from a gunshot wound to the right shoulder. Brock said, "You’re under arrest Giovanni!"

He turned to the group and said, "The three of you think that you’re going to arrest me? Don’t make me laugh."

Brock’s blood was boiling, "I’ll tell you what, give us back our friend and we might let you live."

"Giovanni, I…"

Gio picked James up by the collar as he stood to his full height of 7' 9" and said, "Traitor! You led them here didn’t you! For that I’m gonna do something that I should have done years ago!" He pulled out a .44 magnum and put it against James’ stomach. Giovanni was about to pull the trigger when James shot him in the wrist. Since Giovanni no longer had a hand, he abruptly dropped him.

Jenny yelled out, "Giovanni give yourself up and we’ll go easy on you, resist arrest and you’ll…" He reached across the desk and back handed her across the face, she screamed, then fell to the floor unconscious. Brock yelled with more fury and hate in his voice than anyone had ever heard before, "THAT’S IT!!! YOU’VE PUSHED ME TOO FAR!!! MY FRIENDS PAIN AND SUFFERING ENDS WITH YOUR DEMISE!!!" James wasn’t sure who to be more scared of, Brock or Giovanni.

He stood up and yelled with all of his strength, "YOU’RE A DEAD MAN, GIOVANNI!!!" Giovanni then punched James out cold in one swing.

Jenny woke up just in time to see Giovanni preparing for the kill, "Brock, help me!" Hearing his friend in trouble, Brock hit his breaking point. He pulled out the two silenced .50’s and opened fire. Giovanni was towering over Jenny as if he was about to strangle her. His first two shots entered Giovanni’s back and exited from his chest. The third shot split his spine into two separate parts. Brock paused as Giovanni started to fall. Giovanni drew out a seventeen inch Bowie, and aimed it at the beautiful young police officer. Brock threw his guns down and dove to push a terrified Jenny out of the way. He succeeded in getting Jenny to safety and just as Giovanni was about to stab him, Brock pulled his unsilenced .50 and said darkly, "This ends now," then shot Giovanni in the face. Fortunately, he managed to catch the huge knife before it could hit its mark. Brock kicked the bloody carcass off of him and stood up to make sure everyone was all right.

Jenny waved, "I’m okay, just a little shaken up that’s all."

James gave him a thumbs up while he was massaging the bruised side of his face. Then Brock remembered why they had gone there in the first place he hollered, "Ash! Can you hear me!?" He ran over to where Ash was lying on the ground. Ash’s hand moved in a waving motion and the rock hard expression on Brock’s face melted away, he became himself once again. Jenny and James ran over to help. Brock turned around, his face was very pale, it had just hit him what he had done. He said, "James what’s the fastest way to the hospital?"

He said, "Take the driveway out to the exit and turn left, take a right at the first light and follow that street until you see the hospital on the right." Brock was wrapping the sleeve from one of their Team Rocket disguises around Ash’s shoulder in an attempt to slow the blood loss. He reached down and picked Ash up and placed him on his shoulder for the run. The three friends ran out to the car and got in. James and Jenny jumped in the back seat and locked down their five point seatbelts, while Brock buckled Ash in for the ride. Then he put his on. He started the car and backed out of the space. He was running with the throttle wide open, he decided to take the quick way out and drove directly at the gate, not even bothering to follow the snaking driveway. When he saw it coming he hooked the wheel, did some fancy footwork, and started the car into a long power slide. He took out the gate and slid completely across the street. He was already pointed in the right direction so, he just put his foot back into the gas. He saw the light coming and did the same thing. Luckily the roads were still slightly wet so sliding wasn’t a problem. Brock breezed through the light, without slowing down much.

He looked at Ash who was growing limp and said while fighting back his tears, "I know you can hear me Ash. Hold on man, don’t die on me, you’ve made it this far…*Ash's head drops suddenly* Hold on everyone!" Brock slammed the gas pedal to the floor. The car immediately jumped into passing gear, pushing everyone even harder into their seats. After a short while, Brock backed off the gas and started to brake lightly when he caught sight of the hospital. He wasn’t about to attempt a power slide at one hundred forty miles per hour. He slowed down enough just as he was getting close to the entrance and slid into the emergency drop off building. Brock came running into the lobby where the same nurse was sitting. She didn’t even ask any questions this time, because, she saw Officer Jenny running behind them.

The nurse grabbed the phone and said, "Dr. Robinson, your kidnapped patient…" Before she could finish her sentence, he came running out of the elevator, completely out of breath, and pushing a gurney.

Brock laid Ash on the bed and said, "I'm leaving him in your capable hands Sir." Dr. Robinson smiled, nodded, and then took off on a dead run for the elevator. After he left, Brock collapsed to the floor.

James said with a surprised look on his face, "What happened to him!?" Jenny knelt down next to Brock and rested his head in her lap.

The nurse calmly walked over and said, "I’ve seen this reaction a couple times before. He’s in two different types of shock. The first one is basically over exertion, where his system is running on virtually nothing but adrenaline. The second one is the shock of seeing a loved one in near death condition. He’ll be fine after he gets a few hours of sleep. There’s an open family room you three can use, it’s right next to Jessie and Misty’s room."

Jenny thought to herself, "If he hadn’t pushed me out of the way, I would’ve had a large knife sticking out of my heart…I should go back to my house but…"

James rested a hand on her shoulder and said, "Jenny, I’m sorry to interrupt your thinking time, but, are you going to stay in the hospital tonight?"

Jenny looked up with teary eyes and said, "I’m sorry James, I have to go."

James nodded and said, "Well, if you’re leaving, I guess I should put Brock to bed."

Jenny shook her head and said, "No, that’s alright, I planned on taking him with me. By the way, is that Jeep Giovanni’s?"

James frowned, "Unfortunately, yes it is. He told me that I had to take care of it until I paid for the damages. But, since he’s dead, I guess that means I can keep it, right?"

She laughed, "Yea, it’s technically yours, however, it needs a new gas tank and some serious front end work. So, if you can live without it for a day or two, I’ll bring it back to you in perfect condition."

He smiled, "Thank you Jenny. Hang on a minute and I’ll help you with Brock." He helped Jenny put him in her car and when he finished he said, "Good night Jenny. I’ll see you in the morning." Then he turned and walked to his room. Jenny got in her car and left.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at her house next to the lake and she took Brock inside. When she laid him down in the bed she couldn’t help but to think of what he did for her. She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. After a few minutes she laid down in bed with her back against his chest, lifted his arm over her body, and went to sleep.

The next morning Misty woke up to the sounds of Jessie crying. She put a sympathetic arm around her and asked, "What’s wrong Jessie?"

She looked at Misty and quietly said, "James, Brock, and Jenny never came back last night, I’m scared that Giovanni may have killed them." Just as she finished up her sentence, the door flew open and there stood James. Jessie hollered out, "James! You’re alright!…wait a minute, where’s Brock and Jenny?"

James smiled, "Well, I’ll put it this way, he passed out when we got back. Before I went to bed I helped Jenny put Brock into her car."

Misty snickered, "Well, he’ll be unbearably happy today, IF we see him. He’s been trying to get one of the Jennys or the Joys to go out with him for years."

James thought to himself, "What if Ash didn’t make it last night, would we all still be friends?" Right after that thought passed Dr. Robinson came in and said, "Good morning everyone, I have great news. Ash made it through the night and is now in stable condition. He can only have one visitor at a time for now, but at least you know he’s doin’ fine."

Misty turned to her friends respectfully and said, "If you don’t mind I would like to go in first."

Jessie and James smiled and said, "Go ahead." Misty left the room along with the doctor.

She paused for a minute and asked, "What happened to him last night? Was he injured worse?"

Dr. Robinson turned and said, "Misty, Ash was shot in the shoulder by Giovanni. Fortunately he was only using a 9mm; it didn’t even break his shoulder. Ash is lucky, but is even more lucky to have friends that care so much about him." They kept walking and approached a dead end room; he turned to Misty and said, "If he's asleep, let him rest. He shouldn’t be awake anyway; his body needs at least two days to re-energize. His wounds are very painful, they will take a few months to heal. You and Brock had better find a place to stay for a while."

Misty looked as if she was on the verge of a breakdown, but she smiled at him and said, "I think that Brock already has a place to live, and I planned on staying with Ash."

He smiled back, "That’ll work. You can go inside now, if you want." She reached out and the door opened for her, Ash was standing in front of her, wearing a pair of loose fit jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. Dr. Robinson said, "What are you doing out of bed? You do realize that you’re walking on a broken leg, right?"

Ash smiled back at him and said, "I was sent into surgery early this morning to have some rods drilled into my leg for a special brace. I was told that I should be able to walk fine. The only problem is that I can’t bend my knee. Other than that, the pills hold off the pain from all of my injuries." Misty wrapped her arms around him, being careful not to touch his injured shoulder. He smiled at her and said, "It’s alright Misty, I’m fine."

Dr. Robinson said, "Well, if this is how you actually feel, you could probably get permission for health care at home. That way you could…" He tapered off when he realized what he was about to say. He smiled and continued, "I’ll leave you two alone in just a minute or two. First I have some good news about Pikachu. According to Nurse Joy, he has just been released from recovery. She also told me that she is going to bring him over personally when she gets off for lunch." Ash was happy to hear some good news for a change. "I also wanted to change something I said earlier, you can have as many visitors as you want Ash." Dr. Robinson turned after he finished his sentence and walked into his office. Misty was still holding Ash, so he reached down and picked her up in his arms and laid her down softly on the bed.

Just when they were about to start kissing, James knocked at the door and said, "Ash, ya’ decent!?"

Ash put his hand on his forehead and said to Misty, "He has, quite possibly, the worst timing in history." She laughed and rolled over on her side. Ash got up and limped over to the door and opened it. James just about fell over when he saw him standing there. James said with a lot of concern in his voice, "What are you doing? I thought your leg was severely broken." Ash laughed and pulled up his pant leg, exposing the bright flash of the steel rods going completely through his leg; there were three circular pieces of steel with rods running vertically through them as well, this held Ash’s leg straight so the bones could heal properly. James looked at the metal contraption that was wrapped around his friend’s leg and nodded. "Ah yes, the miracles of metal shop."

"What’s wrong James? I know you had a reason for coming."

"Brock just got back and well…you wouldn’t believe me if I told you."

Ash walked back inside his room and told James, "Come in, you don’t have to stand outside." James hesitated for a minute and then proceeded to go in. James’ eyes grew wide when he noticed Misty, lying on the bed. She had her hair down and was wearing a white crop top, a pair of tight blue jeans, and a pair of black dancing boots.

James’ jaw dropped, "Misty, is that you?"

She giggled, "The one and only. What’s the matter James? Didn’t recognize me in my new outfit?"

He got a grip and said, "I’ve never seen you dress like that before. You look great."

Ash poked James in the side and said quietly, "Quit staring, you already have a girlfriend. Besides, she’s taken."

James bowed his head slightly and said, "Sorry, Ash. I couldn’t help it." Just then Brock opened the door and let Jenny in. She was wearing the exact same outfit as Misty.

Brock shut the door behind him and said, "We’re here."

Jenny walked over to Misty and smiled, "I like your outfit, it looks so familiar." They both started to laugh. The guys just shook their heads and walked out into the hallway.

Jessie walked up behind James from the other room, wrapped her arms around his waist, and said, "What’s up?" James turned around and held her out so he could take a good look at her. She had her hair curled and styled. She was wearing a pair of black velvet jeans, black boots, a robins-egg-blue spaghetti strap half top, and a matching black velvet jacket. James was in awe; he almost didn’t recognize his own girlfriend.

"Jessie, you’re gorgeous."

She started to blush and said, "I’m not that pretty." He leaned forward and surprised her with a kiss.

When he stopped she smiled and questioned softly, "To be continued?" James raised one eyebrow and smiled crookedly. Jessie turned to Ash and said, "Well, I’m surprised to see you up and about."

He showed off his reinforced leg again and said, "I wouldn’t be if it weren’t for those. They’re the only reason I can walk for now."

Jessie hugged him and said, "I hope you heal quickly. Where are Misty and Jenny hiding out?" Ash laughed and pointed at his room. She turned and walked inside.

Misty and Jenny were sitting across from each other at a table talking. Jessie walked over and said, "What’s the conversation about?"

Jenny said while smiling brightly, "Last night. Please, have a seat." Jessie sat down and they began talking again. Jenny was the first to start, "I still can’t believe that Brock risked his life to save me."

Jessie said, "What happened to James’ eye."

Jenny turned to Jessie and said, "Giovanni knocked him out with a single punch. I guess it turned into a black eye overnight and he tried to cover it up with your makeup."

Jessie exhaled slowly, "He took a hit from Giovanni and lived. Now that’s amazing." Jenny and Misty were confused but kept talking.

Jenny continued, "Brock was the one that ended the fight…permanently."

Misty cut in, "Wait a minute would you mind starting over so Jessie can hear what happened."

She nodded, "Sure, no problem. It started when I kicked the office doors in. The first attack was from Giovanni, he slapped me extremely hard and I passed out from the pain of his rings, then he turned on James. He lifted him off the ground and put a gun against his stomach. James managed to pull out his spare gun and shoot Giovanni in the wrist, thus removing his hand and freeing himself. Brock had been pushed to his limit and yelled at Giovanni. This inspired James to make a threat towards Giovanni’s life. That was when Giovanni knocked him out and went after me. Brock was pushed past his breaking point when he heard my pleas for help. He turned and shot Giovanni three times, he noticed that Giovanni had pulled a knife and was aiming for me. He then pushed me out of harms way, turned, knocking the knife away, and shot Giovanni in the face. That was the end of Giovanni’s threats and also the end of Team Rocket." Misty and Jessie were staring at Jenny with their mouths gaping open.

Jessie broke the confused silence with, "Our Brock and James, did that?" Jenny nodded with her arms crossed. Misty had a chill running up her spine that told her it was time to leave.

She stood up and said, "I gotta go. I’ll see you later." Jenny and Jessie waved as Misty left the room.

Ash was standing outside the door with Brock; James went back to his room to get cleaned up. Misty wrapped her arms around Ash and said, "You wanna go somewhere?"

Ash turned his head and kissed her on the cheek, "Definitely." They started to walk outside, but paused when they realized neither of them had a car.

Misty gave James a flirtatious smile and said, "James dearest, could we borrow your rental car?"

James smiled, "Sure, here’s the keys." Ash reached out and snatched them up before Misty could get to them. They then went outside to find the car.

Ash had his left arm around Misty’s waist, when he opened the door for her. The rental that Jenny gave James was a dark purple Camaro. Ash sat down in the driver’s seat, and started the car. Lucky for him the car was an automatic. Ash pulled out of the driveway and said, "Where to?" Misty began to blush lightly at the thoughts she was having.

To save herself from any embarrassment she said, "Let’s find some place to stay."

Ash’s eyes turned toward Misty, who was now completely flustered, "A place for us to stay? How about the former Team Rocket cabin next to the lake?"

Misty smiled, "Next to the lake? Sounds good to me."

Ash snugged his seatbelt up and said, "Do you want to stop somewhere first?"

Misty shook her head, "No, I think I’d like to go for a swim at the cabin. If you don’t mind?"

Ash laughed lightly to himself and said, "Sounds like fun." He had another thought, "I can’t go swimming, not with these metal rods protruding through my leg." He just kept smiling as if nothing was wrong. He started to accelerate towards a large group of bushes when all of a sudden they lifted as he pressed a button on a remote. Misty had pulled her legs up and hid her face.

After Ash pulled into the hidden drive and stopped, Misty took her hands from her eyes and said, "Are we in one piece?"

Ash laughed and said, "Of course we are. I know everything about this house. It hasn’t been lived in since I got my marsh badge, so it will probably need some cleaning. I’ll work on that while you swim."

They got out of the car and Misty pouted, "But, I wanted you to…" She stopped herself from continuing that sentence because she remembered his injuries. "I’m sorry Ash, I forgot about your leg. Would you please stay outside with me, that way we can at least talk."

Ash said, "Sure, I figured that I’d end up lounging on the shore and hopefully get a tan." Ash had apparently been planning on getting some sun; he was already wearing his suit.

Misty said, "Ash where can I change?" He pressed another button and the front door of the cabin opened. To their amazement, the house was spotless.

"You can change inside," he said in a bewildered voice. She nodded and walked in. After only a minute or so, she emerged wearing a small white bikini.

She ran over to where Ash was resting and paused. A moment later, she leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips then said quietly, "I love you."

Ash tipped his shades down and said, "I love you too." Ash stood up, "I have an idea. Maybe I can go for a swim." He reached under the driver’s seat of the car and found a clear plastic bag. There were no visible holes in it, so he pulled it over his machinery and wrapped a strong rubber band around the top of it.

She smiled and said, "Are you ready to join me in the water now?" Ash thought about his wounds and remembered his shoulder and the long cut running down his body. He moved the patches so he could look at them. The doctor had used a new type of sealing agent on them. The stuff is waterproof and chemically bonds the wound back together.

Ash smiled and said, "Ready." He reached down, picked Misty up and said, "Shall we, my dear?" Misty kissed him again and relaxed in his grip. Ash walked slowly down to the water’s edge then set Misty down gently. She was about to dive in when she realized that he hadn't blinked since she came out of the house.

"Well, are you coming in or are you just going to stand there staring at me?" Ash walked out until the water hit his stomach; the water was about ice cold compared to the outside temperature. He shivered for a second and then dunked himself. When he came up he was face to face with Misty. She was smiling when she said, "Are we going to talk or…" Before she could finish, Ash reached out, pulled her close, and they began to kiss passionately.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, Brock was talking to Jenny about the night before. He started out by asking, "Jenny, does this mean that James and I are part of the force now?"

Jenny nodded, "Yes, but if you don’t want to work with me all you have to do is say that you resign and give your badge back."

Brock shook his head, "I didn’t say that I had any intention of leaving. Jenny, I don’t know what happened to me last night, but what I turned into scared me. I psychologically broke down; Ash is like a son to me, when I saw that Giovanni had shot him, I couldn’t control my actions; I was completely taken over by my rage."

Jenny put her arm around his shoulders and said, "Don’t worry about it. As far as I’m concerned, you did everything right. We gave the criminal a ‘fair’ warning, and then you protected yourself, your fellow officers and friends."

Brock hugged her back and said, "Jenny, I…I know I’ve said this many times but I swear it’s true, I love you."

"Truth be known, I’ve always had a sort of crush on you too Brock. I just didn’t realize that I actually loved you until just before you saved my life." She started to blush when she realized what she had just said.

Elsewhere in the hospital, Jessie and James were sitting down for lunch. James was looking deeply into Jessie’s eyes when he said, "Jessie, now that Team Rocket is gone, what are we going to do? I can’t just leave, I care too much about you." Jessie stood up, walked around the table and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"James, you don’t have to worry about that, I have no intention of leaving you alone." James stood up and hugged Jessie. They sat back down after a few minutes to finish up their meal. James finished first, after throwing his plate away he came back and sat down.

"Jessie, where are we going to stay once Ash is out of the hospital?"

Jessie looked up after finishing the last bite of her meal, "Isn’t there a hidden cabin next to the lake? If there is we can stay there." James thought for a minute while Jessie threw her plate away. "I wonder what she means by saying ‘we,’ does she mean the six of us, or the two of us." Jessie came back and sat down, "Well?" she prodded.

James looked over towards the lake and said, "Is it going to be the two of us or the six of us?"

Jessie wasn’t sure how to answer the question, she enjoyed having their friends around, but living together, that was another story, especially since the cabin had only two bedrooms.

"James, I would like to live with everyone, but…there are only so many people that can live in a two bedroom cabin."

"But Jessie, don’t we have another set of paychecks coming?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

James' infamous smile crept across his face, "Why don’t we expand the cabin? I mean just add a couple more rooms. It shouldn’t be any trouble at all if Brock and Ash help out."

Jessie thought for a moment and said, "Are you sure you want to spend your last paycheck on that old cabin?"

James replied, "Why not? We have to spend some money on it anyway, you know it will need to be cleaned up."

"Whenever our checks come in and we can have all of our help, we’ll start working on the house."

Back at the lake, Misty was lying on shore completely out of breath; Ash was lying next to her with his hair all messed up. She turned so that she was facing him, "I think…we need to get back to…the hospital. Joy should be there pretty soon."

Ash had a satisfied look on his face and said, "You’re right Misty, we probably should be there when she drops off Pikachu." Ash stood up and went out into the water to get the sand off of his body and went inside to change. He came back out to find Misty sitting in the passenger seat wearing her bikini top and her favorite pair of cutoffs. Ash sat down and started the car. He opened the "secret" gate and took off towards the hospital. "Misty, are you going to be warm enough in the hospital?"

She laughed, "Probably not but, I planned on taking a shower and changing back into my other outfit anyway." When they arrived there Ash got out, walked around to the other side and opened the door for Misty. She stepped out and kissed him once more before going inside the hospital. James was siting in the lobby waiting for them to get back with his keys. Ash said, "Hey James, catch," and he threw the keys to him.

"Thanks, I’ll see you in a few." They waved as he peeled out of the parking lot.

Ash shook his head and said, "I wonder where he’s going in such a hurry."

Misty shook her head, "Who knows? Maybe he forgot something back at the hotel." They started for their rooms but there was a strange noise coming from Jessie’s room.

Ash’s eyes were wide open and he had a cockeyed smile when he said laughingly, "You want to use my shower and let Brock and Jenny have some personal time together?"

Misty started to laugh, "I think I’ll take you up on that offer." Ash opened the door for Misty and they found Jessie sitting on his bed with her face buried in her hands. Misty spoke up, "Are you alright Jessie?" She didn’t say anything but she shook her head gently from side to side.

Ash whispered into Misty’s ear, "I better leave you alone so you can talk to her."

Misty nodded and sat down next to her. "Jessie, is this about James?"

She pulled her hands away and with tears in her eyes said, "James said that he was leaving. But, he doesn’t know how long he’ll be." Misty's concern was growing fast.

"Where is he going?"

"He said that he wanted us all to have a better life so he was going out to find…" she started to cry again.

Misty put a loving arm around her friend and said, "You know he’ll come back. He can’t live without you. Besides, who’s going to hit him on the head when he says or does something totally stupid."

Jessie laughed lightly between sniffs, "Thank you Misty. I was lost on my own but now I know exactly what I’m going to do."

Misty smiled, "And what might that be?"

"I’m going to the spa to get a complete rub down and then on to the salon for a makeover. Do you wanna go?"

Misty nodded her head and said, "Sure, I never pass up a chance to be pampered."

Ash knocked and opened the door, "Is everything alright?"

Jessie said, "Come on in Ash, everything’s just fine." Jessie turned to Misty, "Let’s go see if Jenny would like to go with us." Misty nodded. They stood up to leave and on their way out both leaned over and gave Ash a kiss on the cheek. "We’ll see you later." Ash wasn’t sure what to think of what just happened. He sat down on his bed and got lost in thought.

Brock walked in a few moments later and said, "Hey Ash, where’s James?"

Ash looked up, "Nobody knows, we brought the car back and he took off." Brock was beginning to wonder if his friend had run away or if he was just playing around with the rental car.

"I just wanted to let him know that the Jeep is done. If you see him, could you relay the message for me?"

Ash nodded, "Not a problem." Brock left the room and Ash was left alone to think. "I wonder if James is afraid of commitment, or maybe…" His thought was interrupted by a familiar face peeking in the door; it was Joy. Ash smiled and stood up. "Come in Nurse Joy. How are you doing today?"

Joy smiled brightly, "I’m doing fine, but don’t be so formal, just call me Joy. How’s your leg healing?"

Ash shrugged, "I can’t even feel that leg, but I can walk on it, thanks to the hardware they installed on it." He lifted his pant leg to reveal the mass of metal rods. She walked back out of the room and motioned for someone to come to her, Pikachu walked up next to her and then ran towards Ash. Ash caught him as he jumped up and he stood there hugging his friend. Pikachu was scared that he’d never see Ash again, alive. He held his friend out and said, "I missed you Pikachu." He set him down on his spare pillow and turned back to Joy, "Thank you for taking such good care of my friend, Nurse Joy." She gave Ash a hug and said, "No need to thank me, Ash. It was the least that I could do, after all of the projects you and your friends helped me with."

Ash smiled, "You needed help, I personally wouldn’t have even attempted working on something like that, by myself. Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Heavens no, I was told by my boss, that I could go to that cliff and collect some of the plants from the edge. I will admit that I was terrified, but I had to get those plants. It’s a type of cure-all potion; they have to be pulverized and blended with a specific mixture of liquids. It can be used on pokemon as well as humans. There was a sick Vulpix at the center and it needed that potion or it would’ve died. Besides, it was my Vulpix."

Ash turned his head to check on Pikachu, "When did you find the time to catch a Vulpix?"

Joy laughed, "I was sitting outside for my lunch break when she walked up to me. I smiled down at her and she jumped up onto my lap. I’ve learned to understand her over the years and she told me that her first trainer abused her. He used a leather whip in the hopes that training her hard would speed up her learning process. Instead it hurt her, so she ran away and found me. I held out a pokeball and she jumped at it. So, now I have a Vulpix."

Ash shook his head and said, "People will never learn, you have to love your pokemon, not just train them."

"I agree. Unfortunately, I have to get back to the center. My break's almost over. I’ll see you later, Ash."

"Bye Nurse Joy."

Joy turned around and said, "Ash, I told you, call me Joy, you’re not a patient, you’re a friend."

Ash laughed uneasily, "I'll see you later, Joy." She waved as she walked away. Ash went back into his room and found Pikachu curled up on the pillow sleeping. "What’s goin’ on Pikachu?" Pikachu woke up and motioned his trainer to come closer. He walked over, "What is it Pikachu?"

"Ash, I heard that you were almost killed because I wasn’t strong enough. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry I…" cried Pikachu.

Ash stopped his friend from finishing his sentence, "It wasn’t your fault, you put everything you had into that attack. I’m proud of you; you stood up to someone that could’ve killed all three of us in a heartbeat. You saved my life because you took his wallet and ring. But, most importantly you saved yourself and Misty. I don’t know how I’d live without you by my side." Pikachu had tears running down his cheeks while he took in his trainer’s words. "Pikachu, you are and will always be my best friend." Ash reached down and picked up his tearful pokemon and give him a comforting hug. After a few minutes of standing there, he laid down and went to sleep, while cradling Pikachu in his arms.

About an hour later, Misty walked in and found Ash sleeping on his back with Pikachu lying on his pillow. Pikachu had his chin resting on Ash’s forehead again. Misty thought to herself, "Ash needs to get some sleep. I’ll show him later." She went back into the hall and walked over to Jessie’s room. She walked in and Jessie turned to her and said, "Back already? I figured that that was the last time I would see you today. I mean, I know how you and Ash are."

Misty began to blush, "Thanks Jessie."

Jessie got a troubled expression on her face, "For what?"

"The makeover."

Jessie laughed, "Oh that, no problem. It always helped me to get my mind off things, so I figured it might help you too."

Misty laid down on the couch and said, "Jessie, where do you think Brock disappeared to?"

Jessie shrugged, "I have no…Well, maybe he went with Jenny. Since she made him a deputy, he may have decided to become a full time police officer." Just then, Brock walked in carrying Jenny.

Misty jumped to her feet, "What happened!?"

Brock whispered, "Shhh…she’s asleep. I didn’t want to leave her in the squad car, so I brought her with me."

"You can put her on James’ bed if you want."

Brock laid her down and whispered, "Thanks Jessie, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could carry her. My left arm was beginning to cramp up." Jessie, Misty, and Brock walked out into the hallway so they could talk. Brock started with, "Our relationship is moving so fast I can’t control myself."

Jessie and Misty looked at their friend with shocked expressions and said in unison, "How far out of control?!"

Brock said slightly ashamed, "Too far…less control than I have at the beach."

Misty laughed, "Have you been spending time alone together…I mean, are you working together?"

Brock nodded, "Yes, that’s one reason why she’s so tired…"

A little while after Brock returned, Ash woke up. He sat up in the bed and reached for his hat…it was gone. He slowly stood up and reached back to pick up Pikachu. He walked out the door and approached Jessie’s room. Brock turned to his friend and said, "Good morning, Ash. Uh, what’s with the new hair do?"

Ash saw his reflection in the window and laughed, "Well, my hat disappeared. Has anyone seen it?" Brock pointed at Misty and smiled.

Misty looked back at him, "I’m sorry Ash, I forgot, I tried it on."

Ash smiled, "You can wear it. I just wanted to know where it was."

Misty walked over to him and whispered, "Let’s take the Camaro back to the cabin and…talk." He smiled and winked at her.

Ash started to go back to his room, but paused and said, "Misty, would you come with me, please?" She nodded and followed him next door.

"What is it Ash?"

He turned to her and said in a serious tone, "I want you to keep my hat."

Misty shook her head, "No, I couldn’t…it means too much to you."

Ash smiled, "Not as much as you mean to me…" Any further thoughts were blocked by a kiss from Misty. It seemed as if they would never break their physical bond but just then the door flew open. Ash and Misty both turned their heads towards the door; it was Ash’s mother and Professor Oak. They didn’t seem to be too happy.

Prof. Oak said, "Why didn't anyone call us!?"

Ash said, "I couldn’t even get to a phone until about noon yesterday. The doctors put this metal brace on me so I could walk around. They also put me on some heavy pain killers, so there isn’t much that I can do when I’m taking those."

Ash’s mother smiled, "I’m not worried that you didn’t call, but I do want to hear about what happened to your leg." So, Ash proceeded to re-tell the story about the accident.

Oak smiled and said, "Well, I’m glad to see that you’re doing alright. We were just worried, that’s all. We found out from one of the Officer Jennys…she didn’t have very many details, but she did know where you were."

Ash’s mother gave him a hug and said, "We have to get going, but, we wanted to check in on you and make sure everything was alright."

Ash smiled, shook Prof. Oak’s hand and said, "I’m doing fine. There’s nothing for you two to worry about. It was good seeing you again. If anything ever happens again I will have Brock or Misty call. I promise." Prof. Oak and Ash’s mother left and he turned to where Misty had been…she was gone. He thought to himself, "She must have slipped out after they came in." Ash walked out into the hall and found Misty sitting on a bench, she was holding her face in her hands. "Misty, are you alright?" said Ash in a worried voice.

Misty looked up with watery eyes and said weakly, "I’m fine…no I’m not fine…I don’t know. I don’t know what to think ever since we started getting close."

Ash sat down next to her placing his arm around her back, "Misty…I…I don’t know what to tell you. All I know is that everything is going to be all right, as long as we’re together." Misty turned her head and buried her face into his shoulder. Ash reached out with his hand and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. He wiped a single tear away with his thumb and said, "Misty, I…"

She suddenly stood up holding Ash’s hands in hers and said clearly, "Ash, let’s start living at the house…tonight."

With a surprised expression he said, "Okay. Let’s go."

Just as they were about to go to the room and pack up, Officer Jenny ran out of Jessie’s room and said, "Oh good, I caught you before you left. Ash, I was wondering, would like to buy the Camaro from me?"

Ash was at a loss for words but managed to say, "Uh…how much?"

Jenny smiled and said, "Six…"

Ash’s eyes opened wide when he realized that he had more than enough money to buy the car, "Sold!"

Jenny jumped for joy (No pun intended) and said, "Just write me a check when you have a chance. I’ve been trying to get enough money together to rebuild my pool room, thanks to you I'll finally be able to go swimming again."

Brock came out of the room and said, "Ready to go back to work, sweetheart?"

Ash and Misty looked at each other with a big grin, "Sweetheart!?!?" It was all they could do to hold back their laughter.

Jenny looked at Brock and said, "I’m ready whenever you are, Sugar."

Ash and Misty were both doubled over laughing, Ash looked up and said, "I think I’m gonna be sick."

Misty shuddered, "Me too."

Brock and Jenny looked at their friends and she said, "We’ll see you at the cabin tomorrow. Brock’s staying with me tonight." Ash and Misty were standing, but still holding their stomachs.

Ash looked at Brock and said, "In that case we’ll see you in the morning." They waved at each other as they left. Alone again, Ash turned to Misty and said, "Where were we?"

Misty smiled, "I think we were somewhere around here," she reached out grabbing Ash by the shoulders and started kissing him.

They must have stood there for five minutes until James interrupted, "HELLO!!!" he said in a shocked and humorous voice. Ash and Misty were trying not to laugh at his comment.

Ash smiled at him and said, "What’s the matter James, never seen someone kiss before?"

James’ mouth was gaping open, Misty walked by and closed it while saying in a rather flirtatious way, "It’s not polite to stare…" She walked into her room and turned back to Ash to say, "I’ll be out right after I pack up my things."

After the door shut, Ash looked at James and said, "She’s really something else isn’t she." James was still staring off into space so, Ash reached out and shook him.

He finally snapped back to reality and said, "I’m sorry if I was interrupting your make out session but, I was wondering if you were going over to the cabin any time soon?"

Ash smiled, "Well…Misty and I were planning on staying there tonight…but if you already…"

James cut him off, "No, no, I was going to ask you to take something there for me."

Ash laughed, "Sure, name it. Just keep in mind I’m driving the Camaro not the Jeep. Oh yea, Jenny wanted me to tell you that the Jeep was finished early and that she dropped it off in the parking lot."

"Thanks for relaying the message. That thing that I wanted you to drop off was a small box of tools. We’re going to need them for the building project that Jessie and I came up with."

Ash smiled, "What kind of project?"

"The cabin is only a two bedroom one bath house. We plan on adding three bedrooms and two more bathrooms. That way, if Brock and Jenny decide to move in we’ll have plenty of room."

Ash nodded in approval, "Do we have enough money to cover the renovations?"

James smiled, "Money is not a problem. Jessie and I have our final checks coming from the team in two days. That should cover a big chunk of the tab and we figured that you would have a little to put in, since you are going to be living there."

Ash laughed, "I have no problem helping with the finances but, I may have to take it easy on the physical part of the building. But, for now I have to go pack up my things."

James said, "Don’t forget these, Ash!" and he threw him the extra keys to the car. Ash walked into the room and started packing. He opened his backpack and found Pikachu sleeping quietly inside.

He pulled out his favorite pokemon and said, "Sorry buddy, I have to fill the bag with my things." Pikachu blinked once then started running around the room collecting things that belonged to his trainer and placing them in the bag. Ash smiled when he realized that they had packed everything in less than three minutes. Ash opened the door and came face to face with Misty, who gave him a quick peck on the cheek. He smiled, "Shall we?"

Misty grabbed Ash’s free hand and said, "Let’s go." They went down stairs and out to the car. Ash opened the trunk and placed the tools and their bags in it. Then he walked over and opened the passenger door for Misty. She sat down and smiled. Ash walked around the car, leaving Misty’s door open so she could breathe. It was a hot and steamy day, 103^oF to be exact.

Ash jogged around to his door and found it wide open; he sat down and said, "Thank you Misty."

She smiled pleadingly, "Can we turn on the AC? It seems a little hot out to drive without it."

Immediately after turning on the car he cranked the air and said, "How’s that?"

Misty laughed, "Much better." He backed out and left for the cabin. On the way there he stopped for a red light and looked over to Misty. She had lost her shirt and was wearing her white bikini top with her usual cutoffs.

Ash smiled, "Getting comfortable I see?"

She laughed, "It’s hot enough…think we can go for a swim?"

Ash smirked when he recalled what happened last time they went swimming, "Sure, did you bring a bag for my leg?" Misty reached back into her backpack and pulled out a box of hospital shower bags. The type that's made so that people with broken limbs can take a shower without getting their casts wet. Ash nodded, "Ah, I see you brought backups." She giggled. He leaned on the gas putting the car into passing gear and went under the bushes of the secret entrance, scaring the life out of Misty with the same trick for the second time. He stopped the car, turned it off and placed a reassuring hand on her back.

She sat up and smiled, "I’ll get you for that one of these days." He stood up and walked around to the passenger side to open the door her. She got out and walked over to the waters edge. She stripped down to her bikini and dove in with barely a splash.

When she came back up Ash was leaning against the car with the bag around his leg, clapping, "That was perfect!"

She blushed and said, "Well, what did you expect from a water master?"

He shook his head and said, "Well, ‘water master’ would you like a swimming partner?" She nodded and disappeared under the waves. Ash walked up to the waters edge and walked out slowly.

After a minute or two Misty popped up and said, "What’s the matter Ash, you don’t seem to be very relaxed like last time?"

He smiled, "Well, I wasn’t sure how long you could hold your breath and I was beginning to get worried."

She smiled slyly and said in a seductive tone, "Well Ash, I found a very peaceful place to ‘talk’ when you’re ready."

He laughed, "Well, let’s go…" Before he could finish she had him by the arm attempting to drag him along with her. He started to swim by her side and said, "Where are we going?"

"Well, you have to dive down to get there. There is a seven foot tall opening in the hillside, ten feet down."

"Where is it?"

She pointed straight ahead of them and said, "Right there." They inhaled and dove down. They made it through the tunnel safely and surfaced onto a solid slate ledge. They sat with their feet dangling in the water enjoying the surroundings. The water was crystal clear and there was a very tall waterfall directly in front of them. The mist from the waterfall looked like falling stars in the orangish colored light of the sunset. As it landed all over their bodies it began to make them shine as if they were covered with amber glitter.

Ash turned to the shimmering angel sitting quietly next to him and said softly, "I love you, Misty."

She hugged him tightly, "Ash…I love you too. Do you hear that mystical music of nature?" He closed his eyes, tipped his head back slightly, took a deep breath and said, "No, but someone back at the cabin is playing their stereo a bit too loud for my liking." The soon overwhelming bass wreaked the mood, so they dove back out before they lost all of their light and surfaced safely on the other side.

They made it to shore after a minute or so and toweled off. The white Jeep was sitting in front of the house and James was sitting on the hood with Jessie in his arms enjoying the sunset. They were listening to the CD Boys to Men II. James smiled and said, "How are you two doin?"

Misty gave him a dirty look, "We were enjoying the peace and quiet until your speakers filled the air with too much noise to even let us think."

He opened his eyes wide, "I’m sorry Misty, I didn’t realize that you…"

Ash smiled as he rested a hand on Misty's shoulder to calm her down, "It’s alright, we needed to come in anyway, if we stayed out there much longer we would’ve had to stay on a two-foot wide rock ledge for the night." Misty smiled and leaned back against Ash. He looked into her eyes and said, "Follow me." They were completely dry now so they walked over to the car and got in. "Misty, I’m gonna take you to a secret place that I used to go to as a little kid. It was my hiding place for when I wanted to get away from my mother or anyone else."

She smiled dreamily, "Sounds…romantic." He started the car and pulled out onto the road.

After driving for half an hour he pulled onto a dirt road and sped up. Misty woke up from the change in the feel of the road. He smiled at her and said, "Well, I’m glad to see you’re awake. We’re about five minutes away from 'my place'."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you for getting me away from them Ash."

He smiled again, "There was something else I wanted to tell you…I loved the makeover, but you don’t need it. I prefer you the way you are." She felt like she was in heaven, nobody had ever told her that she was pretty in that way. Ten minutes later, Ash slowed the car to a crawl and said, "Hold on Misty, the road's gonna be a little more bumpy from here on out." She nodded and replied by tightening her seatbelt. He turned onto a hidden road. It was quite obvious that nobody had driven on it for a while, there were leaves all over the place making it hard to see the path and also very slippery. The car kept sliding when he had to turn, but he managed to keep it fairly straight. They stopped at a clearing after a few minutes and got out. He looked at her while she was taking in the scenery. Her face was hauntingly beautiful in the light of the moon. Her eyes had an unnoticed twinkle from the reflection off of the water. Her bright red hair was flowing in the light breeze.

She leaned in closer to him and closed her eyes, "I don't ever want this to end."

He reached out and hugged her close, "Neither do I…Misty…" He slowly knelt down on one knee and said, "Will you marry me?" He held up a small blue velvet box and Misty passed out. Ash quickly caught her, "Misty! Are you alright?" She let out a long dream-like sigh, "I will."