Ash sighed in frustration. "How do you expect me to know how to use psychic powers? It isn't like I've ever used them before." Renita shook her head. "I don't expect you to know. That's why I'm trying to teach you, duh. Now, focus your mind just on the spoon..."
Ash glared at the indicated utensil. His eyes flashed purple, and the spoon simply melted in Renita's hand. Quickly she dropped it, shaking her hand as if the thing had bitten her.
"You idiot, I told you to bend the spoon with your mind!! Why would I say 'bend it' if I didn't mean it? Are you trying to burn my hand off?!" The enraged Ditto girl shook a fist in Ash's face as she spoke.
"Sorry..." Ash said meekly. Suddenly a fit of giggles burst from behind a nearby bush. Ash whirled around to see who it was, though he really already knew.
Sure enough, Misty stepped out, holding one paw lightly over her mouth as if it could hide her wide grin. Ash winced slightly; what a fool he'd made of himself in front of Misty!
"Hi," Misty said, addressing both her friends. Her tail was waving high in the air, a sure sign that she was excited. "Jessi wanted me to come get you. Something about finding out another power..."
Renita was beside her in an instant. "What are you waiting for, then?" She turned back to Ash, all traces of her previous anger gone. "Come on, let's go!"
Ash, puzzled, shook his head and followed.
It had been around a month since the group's brush with Death. Thanks to Renita, their appointed guardian, they were developing their amazing powers and learning how their personalities could be handled. They knew that they had to stand together for the Final Battle; with this knowledge, they had decided to try and get along, Team Rocket to twerp and vice versa. They mostly had no trouble, except that Meowth still refused to get anywhere near James, much to everyone else's dismay. As for James, he acted as if he didn't care, but his friends could tell it was just that, an act.
"Look!" Jessi exclaimed, waving her arms. The clearing she stood in was bathed in a cloud of bluish mist, swirling and moving in intricate patterns that dissipated into nothing as soon as they caught your eye.
"This is great, Jess," Renita commented, looking around. "What have you learned to do so far, again?"
The schoolgirlishly excited Jessi counted off her powers on her blue webbed claws. "I can shoot water from my hands, I can call clouds and make it storm- I'm still working on that one, though," she said sheepishly, glancing at Misty. The first time she'd managed to make it storm, Misty had been zapped by lightning. Luckily, the element of electricity that had been embedded within her wasn't affected besides an unpleasant sensation and singed fur, but it hadn't been a fun experience for anyone.
"... And now I can create a shield of mist," the Dragonair girl finished proudly.
"Wonderful!" Renita replied, just as happy as if she herself had accomplished those things. She turned to Misty. "And have you been practicing?"
"Of course. I went away from everyone, like you said. It was a good idea. I fried a few trees, too. But my aim's getting better." She smiled to herself, obviously glad she had been asked.
"How about you, Ash?" Jessi asked, in a courteous tone unheard of until just a month ago. "How are you doing?"
Ash blushed furiously, taking off his Pokemon League hat, then replacing it and pulling it over his face. He didn't bother to answer; he knew Renita would take care of that.
"'Doing?'" the Ditto girl repeated, incredulously. "He can't even bend a spoon correctly. Melt it beyond recognition, sure, but not bend."
"Are you done yet?" James' voice came from above their heads. Renita glanced up, unsurprised, to find her friend stretched out on his stomach on one particularly wide branch. His tail hung lazily down toward the ground.
In response to his question, Jessi motioned with her hands, and the mist blew away as if scattered by a gust of wind. James jumped out of the tree, landing on his feet and not faltering at all. He nodded toward everyone, and smiled briefly at both Jessi and Renita.
"What were you doing up there?" Ash asked. The older boy shrugged.
"I didn't want to get wet while Jessi practiced." Everything he said lately seemed to be as short as possible to avoid offending anyone. It worked, too.
"Well then," Renita began. "As soon as Brock comes back, I have something to tell you."
Brock sat on a fallen tree, thinking, on the outskirts of a sprawling meadow. He had wanted to be alone for a while. Not that he didn' t have good company; he had more friends than ever now. He didn't mind Team Rocket anymore, not since they'd agreed to try to be friendlier.
Brock simply had no idea what was bothering him. He had come to terms with his new form long ago; he was a very reasonable person, and accepted things better than most. Responsibility was nothing new to him, either. He had been solely in charge of his ten little brothers and sisters, and saving the world seemed like it would be easy compared to those years.
Training held next to no appeal for him. Even with his Primeape fighting instinct, he didn't want to. But Renita insisted on it. Everyone was training except for him. It didn't matter to him, and that was the odd part. Something was just... just... missing.
There was a sound behind him. Surprised, he turned around, only to see Renita walking toward him. He sighed and turned back to looking out over the waving grass of the meadow.
Renita had noticed Brock's melancholy air in the last few days. It bothered her, not knowing what was wrong with her friends. So instead of telling him to come with her as she had been intending on doing, she sat down next to him.
"What's wrong?" Renita was never one to take the roundabout way in conversations.
Brock didn't answer right away. He stared up at the sky for a few moments, then turned slightly to look Renita in the face. He was stricken for a moment; he had never really taken time to just look at her. In retrospect, he wondered why this was, and hesitated in his reply.
"I... I just had to think. By myself."
"No, you've been acting really depressed lately. You can tell me what's wrong." Renita's voice showed her concern. Brock looked at the ground.
"I don't know," he confessed. "Everything's just... weird. Different."
Renita nodded. "I know what you mean. My life really changed after I died... I mean, met Death." She considered something for a moment. "I don't remember anything about my life before that."
Brock looked at her, surprised, forgetting his former embarrassment. "What?!"
"I don't even know if I had a family... or friends..." She stopped speaking, tears welling up in her bright green eyes. "I can't even remember how old I am, or when my birthday is , and it wouldn't even matter because I can't get any older anyway..." She was silent for a moment, and Brock suddenly realized that she was crying softly.
Brock looked on, shocked. Renita had not only been put in charge of something terribly important, but had been forced to put her own feelings aside to be efficient at her job. She had obviously been holding back for a long time. Having no real idea of what to do, Brock simply put an arm around his friend and was silent. She cried for a while, not protesting to Brock holding her.
Finally, Renita sniffled and sat up, pulling away. "I'm sorry," she said sheepishly, smiling a little. "I wanted to cheer you up, and I guess we switched places..."
"It's okay," Brock assured her. "I don't mind." Inside, he wasn't nearly as calm as he was trying to seem. A girl his age was allowing herself to be comforted... by him. How many girls would have hit him and never spoken to him again if he'd tried to put his arm around them?
He looked hard at Renita, who was trying to recover her usual cheerful air after having cried. This was just too weird...
"Nita," he said quickly, moving away a bit. "Was there something you came here to tell me?"
The Ditto girl looked at him, hurt. It was obvious that he was trying to change the subject. She quickly shook it off and nodded curtly, putting on her mask of cheerfulness once again. "Yeah, I have something to tell all of you, so come on," she told him, voice still slightly choked from crying. She stood up and walked quickly away.
Brock stared sadly after her.
All of the people and Pokemon Renita was guiding were gathered in a rough semicircle around her when Brock arrived. The Ditto girl studiously avoided looking at him. Instead she motioned for everyone to be quiet. There was a storm gathering overhead, and it hadn't been summoned by Jessi, either.
Without waiting for Brock to sit down, Renita began to speak. "You all know how important it is for you to win the final battle, right?" she asked. They all nodded. "Good. Well. The stakes have just been raised."
"What happened?" Misty asked softly, startled.
"The demon guys- who kidnapped you and Jessi- have sided with the Dark Powers... The bad guys are stronger than ever," she restated as an afterthought.
"What does that mean to us?" Ash urgently wanted to know.
"Well, I'm sure I'll tell you if you'll sit back and listen, you little dork," Renita chirped pleasantly. Ash blinked twice and folded his hands in his lap, sitting up straight in an attentive position as his companions snickered at him.
Renita cleared her throat, winking at Ash, who was looking rather embarrassed. "We're gonna start intensive training tomorrow morning. We have to take advantage of every hour we have, so I want us all up at five AM." Ignoring the loud moans from her friends, Renita continued. "You'll each have a different kind of training exercise, so you'd better socialize tonight- you won't be seeing much of each other for awhile."
"How long are we going to train?" James growled, his tail lashing in annoyance.
Renita went up to James and put her face an inch away from his. "As- long- as- it- takes," she whispered, poking his shoulder with each word for emphasis. As she moved away, she ruffled his ears, messing up his hair as well. James snorted and shook his head, causing all but a few strands of hair to go back into place. His expression showed plainly that if anyone but Renita had even tried that, they'd be dead right now. And no one but Renita would have dared to try it anyway.
"This training is absolutely necessary," Renita continued, sounding more serious. "I want us all to come out of this alive. Got it?" Everyone nodded gravely. "Hopefully, with enough training, this should make our fight a whole lot easier."
"'Our'?" Meowth questioned. "Are you goin' ta fight, too?"
"I was going to, all along," Renita said softly. "I don't think Death would have been very happy to know that, but now he has no choice. We're lacking firepower, and if I fight, we just may be able to turn the tables."
Meowth was sulking, not for the first time since he and his friends had been chosen to fight. Stupid... I hate this, he fumed. We shouldn't have to do this. Especially not with the twerps. I don't understand any of it... Meowth's feline eyes welled up with tears of frustration as he stared at the ground..
Pikachu walked through the small, cat-sized space between the branches of the bush that Meowth was hiding in. Seeing Meowth there, he started a little and paused, as if unsure whether or not to go in.
"Pi... pikachu?" the Pokemon asked. (What... are you doing here?)
"None of your buisness, ya little rodent!" Meowth growled. The electric rat smirked slightly.
(Your friends deserted you, didn't they?)
"What'd you say?!" Meowth gasped, jumping up and unsheathing his claws. Pikachu snickered, and his pink cheeks sparked . Meowth got the message, not moving any closer to Pikachu, and holding his paws up in a symbol of defeat. Inside he didn't feel so passive; he wanted to rip the little rat to shreds! The thing was too smug for his own good.
(I said what I said. You heard me.) Pikachu sat down, making himself comfortable. That in itself was an insult; he was so confident that Meowth wouldn't be able to beat him, that he made himself vulnerable without fear.
"You don't know what you're talkin' about," Meowth mumbled, backing up nervously.
Pikachu's expression softened. (Really... What have they ever done for you that's so great? You're the most foolish Pokemon I've ever met. They're just using you, and for evil. They might leave you at any time.)
"My friends'd neva leave me all alone," Meowth hissed, in a dangerous tone. Pikachu snorted.
(Ash has saved my life more than once.) Pikachu said. (That's more than you could say.)
"Actually," Meowth began dryly, "Jess an' James have saved me before. Like dat time when I ran into my old gang." Meowth paused, but Pikachu didn't interrupt. He cleared his throat and continued.
"I was tryin' ta help Meowsie, my old girlfriend," (Meowth wasn't exactly lying about that, just twisting the truth) "after her trainer had abandoned her. She'd joined my old gang as her last resort. When I tried ta get her out, da ringleader, a Persian, ordered da gang ta attack us." Meowth smiled a little as he continued. "Jessi an' James showed up an' fended off da gang so me an' Meowsie could get away."
Pikachu blinked, surprised, and interested despite himself. (R-really?)
Meowth nodded and quickly continued, pleased that he was avoiding conflict so easily. "An' den dere was dat time when some freaks in Meowth costumes was tryin' ta make me learn Payday. I told 'em it was impossible, but dey didn't listen." Meowth shrugged animatedly. "Some humans just ain't too bright, I guess." Pikachu had to cough to keep from laughing.
"So, dey sent out an Onix to battle me... I guess ya know how tough dose Onixes are." Pikachu nodded, shuddering. "So, da Onix had me in a Bind attack, an' da Meowth-worshipin' freaks was waitin' for me ta use Payday."
(Then what happened?) Pikachu interrupted, drawn into the story. (Onixes are bad news if you ask me.)
Meowth grinned, his mind still on the story. "Yeah, dat's pretty much what I was thinkin', too. I thought dat it was da end- I just wasn't able ta use Payday. The Onix just squeezed tighter an' tighter. I was just about ta black out when I heard somethin' clink. Then somethin' else hit me in da face."
(What was it?!)
"Coins! An' more were appearin' every second! I had no idea what was goin' on! I wasn't usin' Payday, right?" Meowth glanced at Pikachu, who was now completely enthralled. "It wasn't 'til later, when da Meowth-people were thankin' me for my help, dat I found out what'd happened."
Pikachu held his breath and leaned forward anxiously.
"Jessi an' James'd thrown their own money into da stadium ta get me off da hook!! One'a James' bottlecaps was in da pile'a money! I didn't know what ta do. I grabbed da bottlecap an' ran off ta see if I could find my friends."
(What about the people you helped? Were you just going to leave them? They were in your debt, they would've done anything you wanted!) Pikachu was incredulous.
"I wasn't about ta stay dere an' desert my friends! 'Specially not after dey'd helped me like dat! I ran ta da shore and looked for da Magikarp sub. Da Meowth-people followed me, an' tried ta make me stay... but I told 'em dat friendship was more important dan anythin' dey coulda offered me. I told 'em about Jess an' James... how I'd taken 'em for granted, but now saw how important deir friendship was ta me. After I'd said dat, Jessi an' James came out an' told me dat I was deir best friend- dey made up a new version of da motto, about friendship, just for me." Meowth sighed. "I'll neva forget it, eitha."
Pikachu seemed satisfied with the happy ending. Suddenly a shadow crossed his face as an overlooked detail occurred to him. (I have a question- where were Jessi and James in the first place? When you got taken away?)
Meowth frowned and hesitated for a moment. He was rather happy with how Pikachu had reacted to the stories- they seemed to be at a truce. Did he want to ruin it?... Well, it was part of the story...
"Dis happened after Ash blasted us off seperately- dat time when our sub was sinkin' and Ash sent out Squirtle to get rid of us. I landed on da Meowth island after dat."
Pikachu blinked. (I... I guess... that was wrong. I'm... I'm sorry.) To Meowth's surprise, the little mouse Pokemon seemed sincere. Meowth frowned in thought, unsure of what to say in reply.
Pikachu spoke again, this time shooting Meowth a sad half-smile. (I didn't forget how you helped me when I thought Ash was gone. I owe you.)
Meowth blinked. "Well... I... guess that ain't a bad position for me ta be in." He laughed nervously, putting a paw to the back of his head. Pikachu giggled along with him, and when they stopped, they glanced at each other. After a moment, they both burst out laughing so hard that they collapsed to the ground, holding their sides and wiping tears of laughter from their eyes.
When, after five minutes, they finally stopped laughing, Meowth shot a grin at Pikachu. "You ain't half bad, ya little rodent," he said mischieviously.
(Neither are you, you mangy alleycat,) Pikachu snickered. Getting back to his feet, Pikachu stepped over to Meowth and held out a paw. Meowth rolled over and stood up, accepting Pikachu's paw in a handshake.
Maybe not friends, exactly- but they were getting there.
Jessi and James, Renita thought to herself. Even their names go together perfectly. But why can't they see that?!
Everyone was sitting around a large campfire, roasting marshmallows, for all the world as if they were a normal group of kids out on a camping trip. Of course, Jessi and James sat together, extremely close together for people who supposedly weren't a couple. Renita was on one side of James, mostly thinking her own thoughts and eavesdropping on the others' conversations.Ash and Misty sat together too, though at a more comfortable distance from one another. Meowth and Pikachu were sharing some hilariously funny conversation, full of "pika"s and "chu"s, which no one but they understood.
And Brock- Renita couldn't help noticing- sat by himself, staring at the ground with his arms folded, having stated that he didn't like marshmallows and not speaking another word the whole time they'd been 'partying'.
Renita felt a pang of guilt, remembering how abruptly she'd left him after their conversation earlier that day. He had been depressed, and he'd still tried to comfort her- no matter how clumsy the comfort had seemed to her. Renita got the feeling that Brock hadn't had too much experience with girls his age.
Renita grabbed a bag of marshmallows and stood up, stretching. "Now, guys, remember, we're gettin' up early! You're welcome to stay up as long as you can get up early without a fight."
"We'll be fine," everyone but Brock and the Pokemon chorused.
"Oh, and Meowth, Pikachu- you two will be training with us," Renita said with a grin.
"WHAT?!" Meowth exploded.
"Pi-KA?!" Pikachu echoed in a similar tone. Renita laughed maniacally and strode over to Brock, swinging the bag of marshmallows around as she walked.
Brock saw Renita approaching, and fought the urge to get up and walk away. Something told him any attempts at conversation would end in himself feeling stupid and Renita in tears. Or, maybe that was his conscience's way of punishing him for not comforting her earlier...
Renita sat down on the ground beside Brock. She sighed happily and looked at him, smiling. "Isn't this nice?" she asked. Brock, who was intently studying her face, nodded quickly. "Sure wish you'd join us," Renita added wistfully. Brock's mouth fell open, and he stammered a nonverbal answer.
Renita frowned at him. "Geez. Is that the best you can do?" She shook her head in mock disgust. "For goodness' sake. It's sad, how guys can get away with treating ladies so badly these days."
Brock knew she was just trying to annoy him, but he felt his tufted ears begin to flick back and forth. He scowled- now he was acting like James. A bad sign.
Renita resisted the urge to laugh aloud. "Nothing to say, huh? I thought as much. Guys are so immature. I'll bet..." A mischievious glint appeared in Renita's green eyes. "I'll bet you've never even kissed a girl before."
This was impossible for Brock to brush off. He growled indignantly. "That's none of your business!!"
"Oh, I guess that means you haven't, then," Renita said offhandedly. "I'm not surprised, I suppose. You don't seem like a guy who would just kiss a girl. And if you did, it wouldn't be any good," she smirked.
Something clicked in Brock's mind. "Oh yeah?" he challenged. He grabbed Renita's shoulders and turned her towards him, and before she knew what was happening, he placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her.
Renita was wide-eyed for most of the kiss. She hadn't thought Brock would actually do it; she'd just been trying to see if she could annoy him into joining the party. Kissing her was Brock's own idea. After a moment she stopped wondering... and started enjoying herself.
Brock broke the kiss first, taking a deep breath. He felt hot and cold all over, and all at once. Renita was blinking at him. He smirked. "Hmph. Any good?" he asked cockily.
Renita stared in surprise. Her shocked expression soon turned into one of stubborn determination. "Heh. I'll show you a kiss." With that, she tackled Brock, sending him sprawling onto his back on the ground. She pressed her lips to his almost fiercely, unaware that her sudden move had attracted the attention of the others, who were all now watching, wide-eyed.
Renita's kiss lasted longer than Brock's had. When at last they separated, they gazed at each other for a few seconds, breathing hard.
"I think," Brock panted, still trying to catch his breath, "you win." Renita smiled, suddenly feeling a bit shy. At some unknown, mutual signal, they both moved forward in another much calmer and gentler kiss.
Everyone stared at the two.
"My god," Misty breathed. "I don't know whether to be happy for them or disgusted at them."
Ash cocked his head. "What're they doing? Looks like they're eating each others' faces off."
Meowth covered Pikachu's eyes with one paw. "Ugh. Dey go any further dan dat an' dey'll hafta get a room."
"Pika?"
"You don' wanna know."
The tip of Jessi's tail twitched as she fought the wistful tears welling up in her eyes. She snuck a glance at James, who seemed to be debating whether or not to go over and kick Brock a couple of times.
I wonder how Nita got him to kiss her... he didn't let on to like her in that way... Jessi pondered. She looked at James again. Hmm. I think I'll ask her about that later...
James was scowling fiercely, arms folded. Jessi saw this and fought the urge to laugh. He was like a father whose daughter had just brought her less-than-acceptable boyfriend home to meet her family. Sometimes he surprises me, Jessi thought, grinning to herself.
