Deception
(Part 6)
By Jame's Rose

Chapter 13: Training

From that day forth, Jessie and James became closer than ever. Everyday they would try and catch Pikachu, and everyday James had to make sure it failed. Everyday they would hug in fear or joy, and everyday James had to lie. Everyday they spent time together, and everyday the Nightingale became stronger.

1 year later, Jessie, James and Meowth had followed the Twerps to the Orange Islands. Once there, they had got a message that Giovanni wanted to speak to them. So, they made there way to the nearest video screen phone.

"All right, who’s gonna call him?" asked Jessie.

"Ya can count me out Jess. He probably wants ta shout at us for doing something wrong again. I don’t wanna be at da other end when he does!" said Meowth

Jessie looked at James, "Well I’m not doing it. You do it James."

She shoved the phone into James hand.

"But…"

"James!"

Jessie looked at him sternly. James sighed and proceeded to dial the number. His mind drifted back to when he first got this mission…

"Let her be in control, don’t fight back against her. If she gets angry, hits you, anything, just shake it off. You have to act almost…pathetic if you like, around her. Make her know that she is in control of you. Remember, when I say ‘close’, I don’t mean anything more than friends got it? But then again, remember, this is an undercover mission, you are not becoming real friends understand?"

"Perfectly." James replied, "How long is this for? And what is it for?"

"This will be for about 3 years, longer if nessercerry, and my intentions will become clear when this mission is over."

Well, the three years were just about up. He wondered if Giovanni would tell him what this was all about, and weather or not this phone call would have anything to do with it. He thought of Giovanni specifically telling his that him and Jessie were to be nothing more than ‘pretend’ friends. He peered over at Jessie waiting for him to dial.

‘Pretend friend.’ He thought, ‘I’m not so sure any more.’

He dialled and waited for the phone to pick up. As he waited, he remembered something else Giovanni had told him over the phone back at Pokemon Tech…

"Sir how long do I have to stay on this mission?"

Giovanni smirked: "Why, Jessie getting to tough for you?"

"Hardly" James replied, "I just want this over and done with so I can get on with the important stuff."

"Oh this is important James. You’ll see. This is, very, important."

James still remembered how un-easy he felt when Giovanni had said that. What was so important about this one girl? And why has Giovanni been refusing to tell him what this is all about? James didn’t know, but in the back of his mind, something was telling him that something was wrong about this whole undercover mission. When they had arrived earlier that day, every time James looked at the beach, he thought he had been there before. Somehow he recognised it from somewhere, but he knew he had never actually been here before. He ignored it and just carried on with the mission, but something about this place was bugging him.

"Hello, welcome to Salon Rocket, the fashion you want, we create. May I help you?"

‘Oh no!’ James thought, ‘She’s gonna recognise who I really am!’

James panicked. If the secretary gave away who he was to Jessie then…

James tried to turn to one side so she wouldn’t see his whole face.

"Umm, Giovanni wanted to speak to us." He said nervously

"Who?" she asked, innocently,

‘Oh don’t play dumb you stupid woman’ James thought angrily.

"You know who I mean."

"Yeah, you know!" Jessie shouted, grabbing the phone from James. Only then, did the secretary actually see the uniforms they were wearing.

"Oh, okay, I’ll patch you through."

Another silence followed before Giovanni answered.

"Yes, what is it?"

Jessie quickly shoved the phone back into James hand.

"You wanted to see us sir?" he asked

Giovanni turned his chair around to face the screen. When he saw James, Jessie and Meowth, he smirked.

"Ah, yes, I wanted to see you three."

He patted the Persian as if to mock Meowth. Meowth scowled at it as it purred contently in his lap.

"Jessie."

Jessie stood to attention.

"I’m sending a Team to where you three are. Once there, I’ve ordered them to bring you back here."

Jessie gulped. Giovanni saw her expression and laughed.

"Don’t worry Jessica. It’s only for extra training. James and Meowth will stay there on the trail of that Pikachu," he smirked, "Which I presume you are still on the trail of?"

He looked at James, knowing that the answer was yes.

"I want you to set up camp on the North side of the Island on the beach there. The helicopter coming for you will land on the East. The winds are to strong to land anywhere else, but the East of the Island has to many people for two Rocket’s to be sneaking around."

Suddenly, at the mention of a beach, James remembered the nightmare that had plagued him two years ago. That was the beach. The beach he’d seen earlier today, the beach where they were going to set up camp, that beach, was the beach in his dream. He gulped. What did that mean?

"Once the helicopter has landed, there will be a team walking to the North to collect you. That’s why I want you on the beach; my Team will be able to see you easier. Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir" they chorused.

"Good. You will be collected at 11.30 tonight."

He turned to look at James again.

"Jessie, Meowth, leave the phone booth, I need to have a word with James."

Jessie and Meowth looked at James worryingly. James just shrugged. They left the booth and sat on a bench outside. James turned to Giovanni.

"I’ve been meaning to ask you, now that this is finally over, could you tell me what this is all about" James said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"All in good time James…all in good time."

Once again, James felt incredibly nervous when he said that, and it must have shown too.

"What’s the matter James, don’t tell me that blackened heart of yours is turning good?"

When he heard this, James quickly pushed back any thoughts.

"No, never."

"Good. Don’t worry, when my Team comes to pick Jessie up, you won’t have to act any more."

"What exactly do you mean by training? What are you going to do to her?"

Giovanni pretended to look shocked.

"What’s this I hear? Concern? For a fake friend?"

‘Uh oh, I’m gonna give it away’

"Umm, no, I just, really, wanted to know why she had to be with me for three years that’s all." He stuttered

Giovanni looked intently at him, as if searching for something.

"Very well."

With that said, Giovanni put the phone down. He looked down at his Persian and smirked.

"That is exactly the kind of response I was looking for. James is going to have a bit of a surprise tonight isn’t he?"

The Persian snickered in agreement.

"Training for Jessie. Ha. There’ll be no training for her. She’s not gonna live long enough."

He looked at the vase of red roses on his desk.

"James is going to have the biggest loyalty test of his life tonight, and I have a feeling when he realises what his true feelings are, it will be to late for both of them."

@~>~>~~

‘Give it away?’ James thought, ‘Where’d that come from?’

He walked out of the phone booth and walked up to Jessie and Meowth. Something was defiantly wrong. He could feel it.

"So, what’cha do dis time?" Meowth asked smiling.

"Nothing, he was just telling me to make sure that Pikachu is caught while Jessie’s at training."

Training. That didn’t seem right either. Giovanni would never send a whole squadron of Rocket’s to come all the way out of the Orange Islands to pick up one Rocket for training.

"Good, let’s hope we do huh?" said Meowth

"Right."

Jessie, James and Meowth made there way over to the North side of the Island.

‘Hmmm,’ thought Meowth, ‘If me an’ James are staying to capture Pikachu, why did da Boss only wanna see James?’

Chapter 14: Camp thoughts

It was 6.30pm and Jessie, James and Meowth had set up camp on the beach just like Giovanni had told them to. They had just finished heating up some soup and were sitting on the sand watching the whole go by as they ate.

"Ya know, it’s gonna be weird not having you guys around." Said Jessie, sipping the hot soup.

"Yeah, I’ll have one less person ta fury swipe." Joked Meowth.

Jessie scowled at him, but then remembered that was the exact same thing he had said when James came but to her after having that unfortunate encounter with his fiancé Jessiebelle…

"Na, only kiddin’. Besides, who would I get to fury swipe all da time?"

Then they all laughed. Together, as friends re-united.

"But seriously," said Meowth, "Why did ya come back?"

James face turned one of happy, to one of a serious, yet some how loving expression.

"Well," he began, "It doesn’t matter how much money you have, no matter how bigger the house is or how many servants you have..."

He looked up from Meowth to look at Jessie, and looked straight into her eyes

"…Unless you have someone to share it with, you’d be just as miserable with it, as without."

Jessie smiled to herself. James was hinting then. She just knew it. He wanted to be with her, at least, that’s what she was hoping. It was going to be strange without him around. In fact, in a way, she was a little scared. She wondered what kind of training Giovanni had meant.

She looked across at James sitting on the sand with the soup un-touched on the ground too. He was looking down the beach, with a worried expression on his face.

Jessie frowned.

"James?" she asked softly

James snapped out of it and turned towards her.

"Huh?"

She smiled; she knew what he was thinking.

"Don’t worry, hopefully I won’t be gone for to long." She said.

"Mmmm."

James turned back to look down the beach.

This time Jessie frowned in anger. He wasn’t worried about her, he was barely even listening.

She got back to her soup with a hurt expression on her face.

"Well, I don’t know about you two, but if we’re gonna be interrupted during da night, Meowth wanna get some sleep now."

Meowth stretched out in his own little sleeping bag and snuggled up.

"Yeah, I suppose we had better get some sleep too James." She said bitterly.

She climbed inside her sleeping bag without saying another word to him. James looked across at her. She had her back to him so couldn’t see him. He frowned to himself.

‘I wish I knew what was going on’

He looked back down the beach.

‘This is the same beach in my dream.’

Knowing that no matter how long he stayed awake, he couldn’t do anything until the team got here. So, giving up to sleep, he set their alarm clock for 11.20pm and got in his sleeping bag. He stayed awake for a few minutes, thinking about what Giovanni had said. Getting no answers from his mind, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

To be continued…