(Author's Rantings)------------------------------------------- Hey, gang, this is a more serious-type story: There’s humor in it, of course, but there will probably be more in the second half. (Yep! It’s a two-parter! Oh boy!) Anyway, I read a very sad story called “Goodbye, Dear Friends, Forever” and it made me cry so much that I had to write a semi-sad little story in order to get my emotions out. Don’t worry, there’s a happy ending to this one, though, but that’s for episode 5. ^_~ (Beginning of Story)------------------------------------------ Episode Four: Ashes to Ashes Narrator: Hello again and welcome to another exciting adven- ture in Pokémon! We join our heroes today in another one of their dealings with the infamous Team Rocket! (Ash, Brock, and Misty are all standing, ready to fight, as Team Rocket jumps into view.) Jessie: (Laughs sinisterly.) Prepare for trouble! James: (Grins just as sinisterly.) And make that double! Jessie: (She tosses her hair back.) To protect the world from devastation! Teem: (He also grins sinisterly [That's my word for the day.]) To unite all peoples of animation! Jessie: (Holds out her fist.) To denounce the evils of truth and love! James: (Holds his rose in the air.) To extend our reach to the stars above! Jessie! James! Teem! Jessie and James: Team Rocket! Blast off at the speed of light! Teem: Surrender now or prepare to fight! Meowth: (Grins and signs a "thumbs up.") Meowth! That’s right! Ash: Get lost, you guys, you’ll never get Pikachu!!! Brock: Yeah! Misty: Take a hike! Pikachu: Pi-kakakakaCHU!!! (He shakes his adorable little fist at them in a gesture that would probably be threatening if the little guy wasn't so darn cute. They all look surprised at Pikachu.) Misty: Watch your language, Pikachu! (She covers Togepi's ears.) Pikachu: (Hangs his head down in an embarrassed fashion.) Pika... {Sorry...} - -; Togepi: Gplii? ::blinkblink:: Jessie: You little twerps can’t win all the time! (She throws a pokéball.) Arbok! Go! James: We’re going to win, just you watch! (Throws a pokéball as well.) Weezing! Attack! Teem: Yeah, ‘cause uh... this is a fanfic and sooner or later, the author will let his favorites win! After all, I uh... "know him personally!" (He throws Meowth into play.) Make me proud, Meowth! Meowth: AAAAUGH!!! Teem! Whatta' ya' doin'? Ash: Pikachu, thundershock them all!!! (Arbok and Weezing hide back in their pokéballs in fright as Team Rocket is electrocuted. Only this time, with much more voltage than usual.) Misty: (She gasps and grabs Ash's arm.) Oh my gosh! Ash, make Pikachu stop! Brock: (Sweatdrop.) Yeah! That’s more power than he’s ever used! It's much more dangerous! Togepi: (Waves its arms.) Breeeee!!! Ash: (He sweats nervously and yells.) Pikachu! Stop! That’s enough! (As Pikachu stops, Teem and Jessie scowl at Ash. Meowth stag- gers a little, and James falls over backwards.) Jessie: (Blackened. She coughs for a second.) You little wimps think you can beat us that easily? (Cough.) Teem: C’mon! I’ve been blown up hundreds of times for cripes' sake! Gimme the juice and we’ll see what happens, right, Jamester? (He looks over at James.) James? (His glasses slope down a little. Jessie and Teem look down at James, then at each other worriedly.) Ash: ::blinkblink:: Uh-oh... Pikachu: Chu... (Sweatdrop.) Brock: I think it’s serious this time... (Misty hugs Togepi and Teem and Jessie hop down to James’ side.) Jessie: (She slaps James.) Come on, James! This is no time for jokes! Get up! Teem: (He shakes James.) Yeah, buddy, come on! Jessie: ::blink:: James? Teem: ::blink:: Buddy? (James doesn’t react in any way.) Meowth: (Shakes his head to clear his mind, then a little at James.) Hey, James... What’s da’ matta'? (Meowth walks up to him.) Hey... I don’t... t'ink he’s breathin'... Teem: (His tail droops.) Um... That's a bad thing, right? Everyone: (They all turn and scream at Teem.) YES, TEEM! IT'S A BAD THING!!! Pikachu: Pika ku Chachaku. > < {Creepy little American.} Jessie: (Puts her ear to James’ chest.) His... His heart’s not beating... (Pikachu, Brock, Misty, and Meowth run to James. Ash stands still with a scared expression on his face and stays very quiet.) Misty: You mean... He’s... (She hugs Togepi tighter.) Togepi: GAK! > <; Teem: (He cries and shakes James.) James, come on! This isn’t funny, man! Not even I would pull a joke like this!!! Brock: I don’t think he’s joking, Teem. Jessie: (She cries and hugs James.) My best friend!!! Why was I always so mean to him??? Misty: Don’t any of you know CPR? Meowth: ::blink:: Maybe... BUT I AIN’T KISSIN’ 'IM!!! Narrator: I do! Teem: (Snaps at him.) Butt-out, Announcer-guy! Narrator: (Goes into a defensive speech in retaliation against his blue-skinned oppressor.) I want to help! I’m not just some all-knowing, unseen voice! I’m a man! And gosh-darn it, I care about you guys when you're in trouble! You think I LIKE sitting around up here when these kinds of things hap- pen? Let me tell you something, you little cross-breed FREAK... Misty: (Tries to make her voice soothing, but still sounds scared.) There, there, Mr. Narrator, and you too, Teem (She hugs Teem, who has become exceedingly emotional at James' current situation, AND at being called a cross-breed freak.) Togepi: (Squished between them.) GPLIIIIIII!!! > <; Jessie: I think I may know CPR... But it's probably too late. (She sighs and kisses James, but no one notices [or cares.]) Teem: (Snarls at Ash, crying.) You rotten little son of a $#@% (He starts blaring obscenities.) You killed James!!!! (He jumps at Ash, but Brock and Meowth hold him back.) Ash: (Screams tearfully.) I didn’t mean to!!! Teem: (Spazzing out.) Sure! Just like the captain of the Exxon Valdez didn’t see Alaska right in front of him! (Which is an insult of cruel, biting wit... For Teem at least.) Let go of me!!! (Teem struggles to get away from Brock and Meowth. Jessie, usually Team Rocket's most self-controlled member, is now crying desperately and hugging James.) Meowth: We gotta’ get ‘im to a hospital! Brock, Pikachu, and Misty: Right! (Ok, Pikachu says “Ka!” but, you know what he meant.) (Brock and Jessie, being the strongest, carry James along, while Misty prays quietly [hugging Togepi {who really doesn't know what's going on and wishes Misty would stop hugging it so tight}], and Meowth and Pikachu try to keep Teem from killing Ash.) Teem: James was one of the nicest guys in the whole Team!!! How could you kill him, Ash? Ash: I didn’t mean to!!! It was an accident!!! Leave me a- lone!!! (Teem almost jumps Ash, but Meowth and Pikachu jump on him.) Pikachu: Pika! Pikachu Pika chu, ka! Teem: No, it wasn’t your fault, Pikachu, Ash told you to do it! Misty: (Finally snaps back at him, rather loudly at that.) Will you SHUT UP, Teem? Ash didn’t mean it!!! Brock: Yeah, cut it out! You’re making Jessie cry again!!! Jessie: No (Sniff.), I’m ok... really... (At that point, the group walks up by a familiar sign of a young boy with a suit on, neatly brushed blue hair, and sweet-looking, dark green eyes. The sign reads “Have you seen this boy?”) Jessie: (She bursts into tears and swears.) Why did this have to be the closest town? (Misty gives Togepi to Meowth and rushes up to catch James from Jessie.) Author: Um, whoops... Hehe, m-maybe I should have chosen an- other town? =^_^;= Teem: (Hugs Jessie.) Jess! It’ll... It'll be ok! Just wait... really... Jessie: (Nods weakly and speaks in a quiet voice.) Teem... Teem: Yes? Jessie: Don’t hug me! Teem: Sorry. (He drops her.) Jessie: OOF! > < (They bring James to a large hospital, where Nurse Joy is working, big surprise.) Brock: (Drops James, walks dazed to the front desk, and sighs at...) Nurse Joyyyyyy... =^_^;= Joy: (She looks confused at Brock.) Can I help you? Ash: (Almost shakes Joy.) Our friend was electrocuted, help him, please! Teem: (Mutters.) Yeah, I'll help, You rotten little... (Rustles in his vest for a weapon.) Joy: Oh... Well, I... I don’t know if... (She looks at every- one’s faces, and blinks.) We’ll try... (She speaks into a microphone.) We've got a severe case of electrocution here! (A team of doctors takes James off in the back somewhere. Everyone blinks at each other in the waiting room. Teem finally pulls the crowbar [that he keeps for just such oc- casions] out of his vest and almost smacks Ash with it, but Brock stops him.) Brock: Control yourself, Teem! Teem: Ok... (He bites his lip as tears start to well up.) sorry... (He starts crying again.) (Ash stares silently at the ER doors, Meowth and Brock try to find some form of distraction in a stack of magazines, Teem sits in a chair and stares as Pikachu and Togepi sit in his lap to comfort him, and Jessie and Misty sit on a couch.) Misty: (Smiles a little, trying to start a conversation.) You know, I sorta... kinda... always had a little crush on James... Heh, kinda funny, huh? (Sweatdrop.) ^_^; Jessie: (Looks down at her.) No, not really, I did too... (Teem stares vacantly.) Jessie: (Looks at Teem.) I said “I did too”! Hello, Teem? Aren’t you going to say anything? (Teem blinks and Brock and Meowth look over at him.) Brock: He really is creepy when he’s quiet... Meowth: He’s always creepy. Teem: (Takes a deep breath.) James was my best friend... I mean, everyone was sorta' mean to me, but James... Well, he hit me the least. And after work, we’d goof off and... He told me once about how he... how he liked Jessie... (Everyone looks at Teem.) Jessie: What? Teem: He really loved you, Jessie, he was afraid to tell you. I always tried to convince him to tell you, but, I guess it’s too late now... (He starts crying again.) Jessie: (Hugs him.) Teem, it’s ok... It’s ok... Teem: NO IT’S NOT!!!! HE’S DEAD, JESSIE!!! FACE THE FACTS!!!! HE'S GONE, DECEASED, PUSHIN' UP THE DAISIES, SINGIN' WITH THE BLEEDIN' CHOIR INVISIBLE!!! HE IS AN EX-ROCKET!!! FOR THE LOVE OF GREAT UNCLE HERSCHEL DANCING IN A VAT OF PICKLE JUICE, JUST ACCEPT REALITY!!! Jessie: If he is, he’s... he's in Heaven... (She kisses Teem.) Teem: (He blinks stupidly.) Did you just kiss me? You... You love me? Jessie: (Sigh.) I “love” you as a friend, Teem, that’s all. Nothing more... (She rolls her eyes, thinking that she prob- ably should have done something different to calm Teem's nerves.) Teem: It’s a start... ¬_¬ (The front door swings open and Jessebelle runs in holding Vileplume, who has a nearly microscopic bite on one petal.) Brock: (Looks up from the magazine stack.) Whu-oh! Jessebelle: Nurse!!! Someone help ma’h po'ah Va'hleplume!!! That filthy “Growly” creatua’ bit-- (She turns and looks at the group, and suddenly drops Vileplume --who doesn’t really care, as he didn’t get hurt that badly anyway-- to the floor.) Where is he?!? Ash: (Nearly comatose.) What? Who? Jessebelle: Don’t play stupid!!! Where’s ma’h sweet James? (She raises a fist to Jessie.) Ya’ll haven’t done anything to him, have ya'? Teem: (Adjusts his glasses nervously, then twists his tail like the Cowardly Lion.) Well, actually, He’s... uh... He's... uh... (Nurse Joy comes out from the back doors.) Joy: He’s dead... To Be Continued... Sad ending, isn’t it? Don’t worry, the next one is better, and it should probably have a bit more silliness in it as well.