@->->-
"Come on out...whatever you are!"
The voice was unfamiliar to me. And as I emerged from my poke ball, the trainer before me was unfamiliar as well. He was a young boy with dark hair. What the?! Who the hell are you?! What's going on?! Where's Jessie?!
The boy's face lit up when he saw me. "All right! A Lickitung! What a great trade!"
Panic seized me when I heard this. Trade?! What are you talking about?! Jessie would NEVER trade me...would she? But all the boy heard was, "Tung! Lickiii....?"
The boy laughed. "You're so funny!"
I sighed. Without Meowth around to translate what I was saying, any attempt at communication was futile. In the months that I'd been with Jessie, she and James had learned to understand me to some degree, but with this kid, it was hopeless.
The boy smiled at me again, but I couldn't return his enthusiasm. Why had Jessie traded me? Didn't she like me anymore?
@->->-
I spent the next few hours in my poke ball, trying to figure out what was going on. Jessie didn't seem like the kind of person who'd just trade her pokemon away -- no matter what people seem to think about Team Rocket, she and James were never abusive trainers. If there was one thing in this life I could be sure of, it was that they loved Arbok, Weezing, Victreebel...and me. Granted, there was one time when one of the mechas they used involved lashing me and Arbok with whips and smashing Weezing with a mallet, but that wasn't really their fault. The Robo-Rhydon had been assembled by a different group of Rockets, and the whips and mallets weren't standard features -- Jessie and James had no idea that we were being tortured while we powered it. Arbok and I were furious with Jessie for several days after that, and I think Weezing was pretty steamed at James too, but once they found out about what we'd been through, they felt awful. When we realized that they'd never hurt us on purpose and that they were sorry for being so careless, we forgave them. Other than that one little mishap, however, the two of them had always been perfect trainers.
Which made this "trade" all the more mind-boggling.
I wracked my brain, going over everything Jessie and I had been through together and looking for some clue as to why this had happened. Everything had been going well between us lately -- she'd been using me in battle more than ever, and she'd been giving me more time out of my poke ball, too. By all outward appearances, she was happy with me!
But then I thought about what had happened that morning.
We'd just arrived in the city of Pompona, and we were all freshening up after a few rough days on the road. James was watering Victreebel and making a joke about the love-bites that Vic always gives him, and Jessie was washing her face. She'd let me out of my poke ball so that I could get some fresh air. Seeing how much James and Victreebel cared for each other and how happy the two of them were reminded me of Jessie and how lucky I was to have her. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful and loving trainer than Jess, and she made me happy! I'd been so happy, in fact, that once she got done washing her face, I couldn't resist the urge to give her a great, big lick!
Not a smart move. I forgot how sticky and slimy my tongue was, and Jessie wasn't too thrilled about me slobbering all over her freshly-washed face. I remember, she yelled at me for that and promptly returned me to my poke ball. She hadn't spoken to me since, and now she was gone! Had one well-intentioned, but poorly-timed lick really made her angry enough to trade me?
No, that can't be it...it just can't! I said to myself. Jessie's temper may flare sometimes, but she'd NEVER trade me just because I licked her! It must have been something else....
I thought about it a little more and realized that maybe it wasn't just about a lick -- maybe this had been coming for a long time, now. I hadn't been winning many battles for the team lately. For some odd reason, I hadn't been able to beat that annoying kid's Pikachu or any of his other pokemon since the Princess Festival! Maybe she was disappointed in me...maybe she'd traded me because I'd failed her, and she was getting sick of me always losing to those brats.
A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought about what a failure I was. I always seem to let my trainers down -- it's the story of my whole damned life.
@->->-
I don't remember too much about my childhood -- my first memory was of me and my mother being captured and taken to a pokemon store in a big city. My mother had died in captivity, and I spent my days locked in a cage, being displayed to the customers. The store-keeper described me as a very rare and valuable pokemon, but nobody seemed interested in me. They all thought my long, sticky tongue was disgusting or that I didn't have any good attacks. Besides, why would anybody want a dumpy pink lizard when they could have a beautiful Vulpix, a rare Eevee, or a powerful Onix instead?
When somebody finally did buy me, it wasn't really because they wanted me -- I was just one of the few pokemon that had been left behind when all the popular ones had been snapped up in the Christmas rush, and the shop-keeper had reduced my price so he could get rid of me. An exhausted man who looked like he'd been all over town in search of the perfect pokemon settled for me because he figured that he was never going to find the Ponyta his son wanted, and that it was either Lickitung or nothing at all.
When the boy opened his present that Christmas morning, there was no missing the disappointment on his face. He'd wanted a Ponyta, and I couldn't make up for that. I didn't let it get to me at first -- I figured that once he got over the let-down of not getting a Ponyta, he'd learn to like me.
I figured wrong.
In the weeks that followed Christmas, I did my best to make the boy happy, but to no avail -- he refused to train me, and he rarely used me in battle. Every time I lost or made a mistake, it only further convinced him that I was useless.
And when he couldn't handle the disappointment of being the trainer of such a useless and ugly pokemon anymore, he finally got rid of me. I remember, it was a cold day in late February shortly after the last snows of winter had melted. He took me to the park and left me beneath a tree. The last thing he said to me before walking away for good was that I was the worst pokemon ever and that nobody would ever be able to love me. His words had cut me to the core, but I certainly hadn't done anything to prove myself to him, and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd been right.
I wandered that park for days in search of food...in search of somebody who'd understand me, but I didn't have much hope of finding either.
But that's when I met her.
I'll never forget the day that Jessie came into my life. I'd been in the park for over a week by then, and I was starving! There was some kind of festival going on, but nobody wanted to share their food with me -- they just ran in fear from the creepy pokemon with the big tongue or threw their garbage at me and yelled at me to get lost. I was starting to wonder if I'd ever eat again when I happened upon a young couple who looked like they'd just returned from a shopping spree. The boy was sitting on a park bench next to a Meowth, and they both seemed exhausted. Despite the look of weariness in the boy's emerald-green eyes, however, it was obvious that he was deeply in love with the girl standing before him. And who could blame him? The girl was beautiful! She was tall and slim, and she had a long mane of crimson hair and sparkling sapphire-blue eyes. I didn't expect such a beautiful girl to have any interest in a pokemon like me, but there was something about the sound of her voice that told me I was wrong about her...to give her a chance.
The fact that she was holding one of those gigantic gift-baskets filled with smoked meats, cheese-wheels, and crackers didn't hurt either.
Knowing that I had to have something to eat and that it was better to take a chance than to remain hidden and go hungry, I emerged from the bushes and approached the boy, the girl, and the talking cat. They seemed surprised that a Lickitung had just waddled right up to them (I was even more surprised that they actually knew what I was -- so few of the people I'd encountered did!), so I took advantage of that initial surprise and used my tongue to snatch the basket right out of the girl's hands.
I tell you, that food was some of the best I'd ever tasted! It felt great to actually eat again! It felt so great, in fact, that just one basket wasn't enough for me! It had been days since I'd eaten, and I had to take whatever I could get, so I started going through the rest of the girl's packages to see what else she had. I did manage to find some more food, but by the time I got to the girl's dresses, I realized that what I was doing was wrong.
When I heard the girl screaming that I'd ruined her genuine copies of original designer fakes, I decided to take my leave. I hadn't meant any harm, but there was no way I could explain myself to her! (And I certainly didn't want to get beaten or pelted with garbage again!)
Before I could run away, however, the girl released her Arbok and blocked my escape. The cobra looked angry with me for what I'd done to her trainer, and she hissed menacingly. I knew that I had to defend myself, so I lashed out with my tongue again and slurped the Arbok before she could strike. Arbok fell to the ground, paralyzed by my lick, and the girl started screaming again.
That's when I realized something -- I'd just won my first battle! In that one, brief moment, I'd received more training than I'd ever gotten in my entire life!
And that's when I realized something else -- maybe I wasn't such a useless pokemon, after all! Maybe I really could do something right...and just maybe I could repay this girl for the way I stole all of her food and ruined all her dresses.
When the girl lobbed another poke ball at me, I offered no resistance and allowed myself to be drawn inside. I could tell from the shining scales and fierce loyalty of her Arbok that she was a good trainer, and I wanted to be one of her pokemon...to do whatever I could to help her. And as the warm, red light of the poke ball enveloped me, I knew that I'd made the right decision...that I'd finally found my home.
@->->-
I never once regretted my decision to let Jessie capture me...to become one of Team Rocket's pokemon. Sure, we've had some rough times -- I've gotten electrocuted by Pikachu, attacked by other pokemon, and blasted off more than any normal pokemon could possibly endure. But no matter how rough things were, the good times more than made up for it.
I learned so much about Jessie in the months that she was my trainer -- I learned that my instincts about her had been right...that no matter how tough she pretended to be, she was every bit as gentle as she was beautiful. She always took good care of me and Arbok, and even Weezing and Victreebel were like her own pokemon when the need arose. (It was the same deal with James -- Arbok and I helped him out whenever we could, too. It was like we all had two trainers!) Whenever we all got blasted off, she and James healed all of us before tending to themselves, they often went hungry when money was tight and food was scarce because they let us eat first, and they never neglected to tell us how proud they were of us...even when we lost battles! We couldn't ask for two better trainers than Jessie and James!
I loved battling for Jessie at the Princess Festival on the day she captured me. I proved to her that I could win battles, and I almost got those Princess Dolls for her! I was almost as heartbroken as she was that we'd lost the tournament and the dolls, but she didn't blame me -- if anything, she was proud of me, Arbok, and Weezing for how hard we tried. And James didn't blame us either -- he gave us all another chance to make Jessie happy by dressing himself and us up like dolls. I think being her dolls for the day ended up meaning more to Jessie than a real doll set ever would have, so I know I didn't let her down then.
I loved our summer in the Orange Islands, too! On Mandarin Island, Jessie and James risked their lives to save me and the other pokemon from a couple of evil Rockets who'd kidnapped us and forced us to turn on them. Even though we'd betrayed Jessie and James, they weren't angry -- they were just thankful that they were able to save us. After that, there were a lot of battles we lost to the brats...and a particularly humiliating defeat to a fat kid and a Scyther swarm on Murka Island (I swear, I wanted to kill that goddamned bug for chopping off my Jessie's hair...and the fatso for what he did to her and James!), and there was even the Robo-Rhydon fiasco on Kumquat Island, but there were also plenty of beach vacations and tropical gourmet meals!
But more important than any of the adventures we'd shared were the bonding experiences. Arbok and I became the best of friends during our time together -- the two of us were like sisters! She told me the story of how back in the days when she and Weezing were Ekans and Koffing, they hadn't been much different from me -- they, too were the rejects that nobody wanted...until Jessie and James came along, that is. She told me about how sad she and Koffing were to lose them the previous summer in the wake of a Gyrados attack and how happy they were when they found Jessie and James again. She told me the story of how Jessie and James's love had allowed her and Koffing to evolve into Arbok and Weezing. Sometimes Jessie told me stories, too. She told me about her mother, how she'd met James, of their school days and days in a bike gang, how they'd come to join Team Rocket...she even told me and Arbok the secrets that she couldn't tell to James and Meowth!
It had only been a few months, but in that time, I'd watched Jessie and James go from two best friends who were afraid to admit that they were in love to boyfriend and girlfriend to lovers. When I met Jessie, I didn't think she and James were ever going to be able to share their feelings with each other, but now they told each other how they felt all the time, and they were even making plans to get married and have children someday! And their love for each other only seemed to multiply their love for us -- we were a part of their family!
More tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about what had happened today. I was happy to be a part of Jessie's family, and I thought it was going to be that way forever! Jessie had once told me that Arbok and I were going to be the bridesmaids at her wedding, and I wanted to be there when she and James had children, too. (She and James are the most beautiful humans in the world -- they were going to have such beautiful children!) She often talked about how much their kids would love us, and I knew that I'd love them just as much!
It didn't make any sense -- if Jessie loved me and wanted me to be a part of her family so much, then why did she trade me away? How did I end up with this new kid?!
She couldn't have traded me of her own free will. Of that I was sure now. With everything we've been through together and everything we've shared, there's not a doubt in my mind that Jessie loves me and that she'd never choose to get rid of me. Maybe I'd been stolen from her...or maybe there was some kind of mistake. At any rate, I knew that I didn't belong with this kid and that I had to find out what was going on and find Jessie again.
And the sooner I did, the better.
@->->-
Later that afternoon, after the swap-meet had ended, the kid, Benny, brought me out of my poke ball again. He seemed happy to have me as his new pokemon, but the feelings just weren't mutual -- I belonged with Jessie, and I wasn't going to be happy until I was with her again!
Unfortunately, there was no way for me to make him understand this! I knew he wasn't going to help me find Jessie, and I knew he wouldn't trade me back to her if she returned. I had to find a way to escape.
I replied with a happy "Licki!" and "Tung!" to every comment Benny made, I followed all of his commands, and I even licked him a few times, but all the while, I kept looking for a way to escape...waiting for the right moment to make my move.
As we were walking up the boardwalk together, however, I saw those three twerpy kids in the distance. Oh, great. I can't let them see me with this guy -- they'll probably start ranking on Jess for losing me! Hell! It's probably their damn fault she lost me in the first place!
"Look, Lickitung! It's my new friends!" Benny exclaimed. "Man, they'll be so happy to hear that I finally traded my Wobbuffet! Come on! Let's go say hi to them!"
I rolled my eyes. It figures. I knew this was all their fault! God, I hate those brats!
As Benny raced up to greet the twerps, I reluctantly followed and hoped with all my heart they wouldn't recognize me...that they'd think I was somebody else's Lickitung. Benny and the brats exchanged banter for a few minutes, and then he started bragging about how he'd gotten me in a trade.
One of the twerps made a comment that he thought Benny was going to trade his Wobbuffet for a Stantler, but Benny explained that the Stantler trainer had changed his mind at the last minute and that "a young woman with glasses and long, red hair" had charged over, dropped my poke ball into the machine, and ran away as suddenly as she'd appeared. He then went on about how he wished she hadn't left so quickly so that he could thank her for trading me for his Wobbuffet.
Now I knew what had happened!
While I was in my poke ball earlier, I'd heard Jessie screaming, and it felt as if I were being jostled about. If those stupid twerps were here, doubtless they'd attacked her and blasted her off! My poke ball probably fell into the exchange machine during the confusion, and she'd been forced to make a hasty retreat, grabbing the wrong poke ball in the process! She probably didn't even KNOW that I'd been traded...and if the exchange had taken place without her knowledge or consent, it wasn't a fair trade! Technically, I was still her pokemon!
Oh, Jessie! I knew you'd never get rid of me! You really do love me...and I love you, too! I said to myself as I gazed up at the sky. The setting sun was painting the clouds in the most brilliant hues of red, purple, and gold, and the blend of the beautiful colors made me conjure an image of my three friends in my mind's eye. Jessie, James, and Meowth would never abandon me or betray me -- I couldn't ask for better friends than the three of them, and now more than ever, I was determined to find them once again.
At my side, Benny and the twerps continued to banter about the pokemon exchange (and those little hypocrites who hated my guts when I was with Jessie seemed to like me just fine now), but I wasn't listening to them. I already knew how I was going to escape...it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment....
@->->-
Since I wasn't a very fast runner and couldn't fly, I had to wait until Benny was asleep that night to make my getaway. After he'd gone to bed, I broke free from my poke ball and jumped down from the shelf where he was keeping me. I landed on the floor with a loud thud and froze for a moment. Shit! I silently cursed myself. Please don't wake up, kid! Please don't wake up!
Benny rolled over in his bed and continued to snore.
Whew!
Taking care to make less noise, I crept towards the window and slowly pushed it open with my tongue. It took a bit of struggling, but after a couple of tries, I was able to climb up onto the sill. The night wind felt cool on my face, and it tasted like freedom. Before I jumped out the window and engulfed myself in the freedom, however, I cast one last look back at Benny.
Don't take this personally kid, but I just don't belong here! I thought. You don't understand what Jessie and I have been through together...what the two of us have shared! She didn't want to trade me to you, and I didn't want to be traded...it wouldn't be right for me to stay here -- I have to find her again! I'm sure you'll find a new pokemon to raise someday, but I just can't be that pokemon! I'll always be Jessie's pokemon...Team Rocket's pokemon, and I won't be happy unless I can be with them....
Benny rolled over again, but he still didn't wake up.
So, taking advantage of the moment, I jumped from the window and landed in the soft sand below, not looking back as I raced away into the night.
I really did feel bad that Benny didn't have a pokemon anymore, but how could I possibly be expected to stay with him when Jessie still needed me? And how could I possibly trust him, anyway? If he could just trade away a pokemon he'd raised without even a second thought, then what was to stop him from trading me, too?! He obviously couldn't form a true bond of love with his pokemon if he were so anxious to trade them! Not so with Jessie -- she knew how it felt to lose her mother...to have her freedom taken from her...to be hated and rejected by almost everybody she'd ever met! Jessie was a kindred spirit (and so were James, and Meowth, and the other pokemon, for that matter), and I needed them as much as they needed me! It was a rare occasion when people and pokemon like us found somebody that we could truly call a friend, which made it all the more important that we stick together, no matter what!
@->->-
I didn't want to be tracked, so I headed for the one place where it would be impossible for me to leave a trail of footprints or a scent to follow -- the ocean. During our trip to the Orange Islands, Jessie had found a Surf HM and taught it to me. I knew that Surf gave me the ability to swim, but I'd never really had a chance to use it before.
Now I guess it was time to see how well it worked.
As I plunged into the water and felt the waves enveloping my body, I concentrated for a moment and remembered how to swim. After sinking for a moment, I rose back to the surface of the water and began to ride the waves. And as the the skyline of Pompona got further and further away, I suddenly found myself thinking about a song from one of Jessie and James's Nine Inch Nails CDs. It was called La Mer, and it was in French, but James had translated it. Sometimes he recited the words to the song, and now, as I swam through the sea, the words seemed eerily appropriate, and I found myself reciting them, too:
And when the day arrives,
I'll become the sky,
And I'll become the sea.
And the sea will come to kiss me,
For I am coming home.
Nothing can stop me now.
I think it was probably a song about death...the soul rejoining the sky and the sea when it departs the body, but to us, it was a song of life...and love. James had often said that home isn't always a physical location -- it's a state of mind. Home is where you're happiest...where you belong. And to us, home was anywhere that we were together. We weren't just friends -- we were a family. Over sky, sea, and land, no matter where we were, we were home as long as we were together. And nothing in life or death could ever keep us from coming home to each other.
Swimming was probably the greatest physical challenge I'd ever faced. My body was exhausted from the struggle of fighting the waves, and my long tongue was lapping up the seawater. Several times, I was sorely tempted to give up and drown, but each time I faltered, I thought of my friends again and remembered the words to that song. No matter how difficult it was, I had to come home to my friends...my family. Nothing could stop me. Not now. Not ever.
@->->-
After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the shore on the far side of the bay. I collapsed on the beach, exhausted from my ordeal, but I only allowed myself a few minutes to rest. No matter how tired I was, the fact remained that I still had to find Jessie...and I didn't have the slightest clue where to begin looking!
Pompona was nothing more than a smudge of light on the dark horizon, and I had the feeling that Jessie was still somewhere nearby. If they'd been blasted off in late afternoon, like I suspected, they were probably a few miles from the city. But which direction they'd blasted off in, how much ground they'd covered since then, and whether they'd decided to move on or return to Pompona to try and find me again was anybody's guess!
"Hmmm...this is going to be more difficult than I thought," I muttered. "Maybe I should've stayed a little longer and given Jess time to come back and look for me...or maybe I should've listened for some more clues about where Team Rocket blasted off to. Oh, well. No sense worrying about that now -- I'll just have to go with my gut...."
And that's precisely what I did. Now that I didn't have to worry about being tracked, I decided to double back towards Pompona over land and search for Jessie, or at least some clue as to where she was, along the way. I was bound to pick up the trail...eventually. But I had to do it soon -- if they got the Meowth balloon fixed and took to the sky, they'd be impossible to track over land, and the colder their trail became, the more difficult it would be for me to catch up to them.
But as daunting as the task at hand seemed, I had to keep reminding myself that Jessie wanted me back as much as I wanted to be back with her. I had to believe that she wouldn't have gone far after that blast-off...that she'd stay in the area for a few days...maybe even try to find me again.
And this hope, no matter how faint, is what gave me the strength to press on.
@->->-
For several hours I wandered through the forest in search of my friends, but the only luck I seemed to be having was bad. And to make matters worse, my stomach was empty, and the biting pain of hunger was making it difficult for me to concentrate. I hadn't eaten since Jessie had fed me at breakfast (I'd probably been lost in the shuffle at lunchtime, and Benny had been too excited about his trade to give me a proper dinner), and I was starving.
Just as I was beginning to wonder where I was going to find something to eat, I saw a warm glimmer of light deeper in the woods -- the light of a campfire -- and the smell of food was coming from the same direction.
"Could it be?" I whispered. "Is it really them?!"
Unable to believe my luck, I began running towards the light. As I drew closer, however, I caught an unfamiliar scent. It was, indeed, a campsite, but whoever it was, it wasn't Jessie, or James, or anybody else I knew. My better judgement told me to turn back and not risk being captured by another trainer, but I was hungry, and I had to eat. So, I just slowed my pace and continued towards the camp with extreme caution.
Once I was closer, I saw a small, weasely-looking man with a scraggly mustache and dark, greasy hair kneeling next to the campfire and roasting a fillet of fish on a wooden skewer. The smell of the fish only made the gnawing in my stomach worse, but my instincts told me that this definitley wasn't somebody I should trust, so I remained hidden and tried to think of a way to get at his food without attracting attention.
Making my way around the campsite, I was able to edge closer to the large sack that was at the man's side. If there was any food to be had, it was in there for sure! Slowly, I reached out with my tongue and stuck it into the bag. I prodded around for a couple of minutes, but when I withdrew my tongue, all I'd managed to pull out was a small purse of money.
Oh, great. What the hell am I supposed to do with money?! I asked myself. Who'd sell anything to a pokemon...and who'd even be able to understand me?!
Just as I was about to spit the change-purse out, however, I caught a familiar scent -- James! His scent was all over this thing! Gently, I set the change-purse on the ground and examined it more closely -- it was made of a deep purple velvet, and it had gold drawstrings. I'd seen James with this change-purse before -- it was definitely his! But why did this slimy guy have it? Had Jessie and James been robbed?
Suddenly, a new theory began to form in my mind -- what if Jessie and James really had been robbed? Could this guy have been responsible for getting my poke ball lost? Something told me that he did, indeed, have something to do with today's "exchange," so I decided to see what else was in his sack.
As I brought out my tongue again, however, Weasel-Man caught sight of me.
"Well, well, well! What have we here?" he said, turning to face me.
Uh, oh! Busted!
"I ain't never seen a pokemon like you before!" he said as I began to back away. "I bet you'd be worth a lot of money! Too bad I can't go back to Pompona just yet -- that guy I snatched the wallet from's prolly got every Officer Jenny in the area looking for me!" He laughed. "Well, no matter. I could just sell you in the next city. There's always a sucker somewhere!"
Oh, no you don't! I snapped as he began to advance on me. You can't steal James's money, kidnap me and get away with it, you son of a bitch!
Weasel-Man laughed again. "You gonna attack me?" he said sarcastically.
I frowned at him. I'd never really attacked a human before, but this guy reeked of evil. In his case, I could make an exception!
As Weasel-Man reached for me I initiated my Supersonic attack and sent him reeling with the high-pitched screech I emitted. Taking advantage of his confusion, I slurped him with a paralyzing lick and tackled him, smashing him into the trunk of a nearby tree. He groaned and crumpled to the ground, but he was still conscious. Not wanting to take any chances, I gave him a Mega Kick for good measure and smashed him into the tree again. That did the trick -- he was out cold!
Once I was sure that Weasel-Man wasn't going to get back up, I returned to the sack and began rooting through it again. He didn't have much in the way of food besides the fish he'd been cooking and a box of saltines, but they were better than nothing, so I quickly devoured them.
Now that my hunger had subsided a little, I took James's change-purse once again and examined the rest of the sack's contents. Aside from the change-purse and the food, there wasn't much of interest inside -- just a bunch of pamphlets that I couldn't read. But just as I was about to leave, I saw the sack move!
"What the....?!"
Looking into the sack once more, I saw something at the very bottom, buried beneath a stack of pamphlets -- it was a Magikarp!
"Help! Help! Get me out of here! I can't breathe!" I heard him crying in a muffled voice.
Reaching into the sack with my tongue, I wrapped it around the Magikarp and pulled him free from the pamphlets. "Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm better than I was a few minutes ago. Thank you," he replied. "But I'm still a fish out of water...."
I looked around for a moment. I hadn't strayed too far from the coast during my search, but we were still at least a mile inland. It didn't matter how far from the sea we were, though -- that Magikarp needed to get back to the water! "Would you like me to take you to the beach?" I offered.
The Magikarp smiled. "Would you? I'd really appreciate it!"
"Of course!"
With that, I wrapped my tongue around Magikarp again and lifted him from the ground. He was heavy, and he was almost as big as I was, but compared to some of the other things I'd been through today, carrying him to the ocean was a relatively easy task!
It took over an hour, but after some struggling and stumbling, I finally reached the beach.
"Thank you so much!" Magikarp cried as I dropped him into the water. "You saved my life!"
"No...trouble...at...all," I managed to reply. By now I was so exhausted that I really did have to take a break. There was no way around it this time.
Magikarp frowned. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked as he watched me collapse.
I huffed and puffed for a few minutes until I'd caught my breath again. "I've been better," I admitted. "I've just had a bad day, that's all. I'll be fine."
"You sure?"
I nodded.
Since he was grateful that I'd rescued him, Magikarp decided to stay with me and keep me company while I rested.
"So, what was that guy doing with you anyway?" I asked. "Magikarp doesn't exactly strike me as the kind of pokemon that there's a huge demand for on the black market."
"Wasn't really the black market, per se -- it was more like a marketing scam," he replied.
"Marketing scam?"
"I'll be the first to admit it -- we're useless in battle! And we're fairly common, so it's not that difficult to go fishing and capture one of us. To trainers, Magikarp has to be the most worthless pokemon ever!" he chuckled. "But not everybody knows that. And that's the scam of the guy who'd captured me -- he sells Magikarp to unsuspecting trainers, convincing them that they can get rich by breeding us and selling us. And when a trainer is smart enough to see through the scam, he just grabs their money and runs. As a matter of fact, that's exactly what happened today!"
"The guy whose money he took...did you get a good look at him?" I asked, remembering James's change-purse.
Magikarp nodded. "He was in his teens or early twenties, fairly tall, glasses, green eyes, violet hair...seemed like a really nice guy...."
"I knew it! That was James!" I exclaimed.
"You know him?"
"Yeah! James is my friend!" I said. "Well...actually, he's my trainer's boyfriend, but we're all friends...."
"Uh, not to be nosy, but if you have a trainer, then what are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?" Magikarp asked. "I thought you were a wild pokemon!"
I closed my eyes and sighed. "There was a mix-up while my trainer was at the swap-meet today," I explained. "I...I know for a fact that Jessie loves me and that she'd never trade me or abandon me, but...I think she got attacked, and it caused my poke ball to end up in one of those exchange machines. I knew the trade was wrong, so I escaped. I'm out here because I'm trying to find Jessie again."
"I see," Magikarp muttered. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"I've got to find Jessie and James...I've just got to," I said as my eyes filled with tears again. "But I don't even know where to look...."
"You know...now that you mention it, I think I saw what happened," said Magikarp.
"You did?!"
"What does Jessie look like?" he asked.
I brushed my tears away and smiled. "She's the most beautiful girl in the world! She has big, blue eyes, and the longest red hair...."
"I knew it! I saw her at that swap-meet!" Magikarp exclaimed, cutting me off.
"Did...did you see what happened?!"
He nodded. "After the con-man took his wallet, James gave chase. While he was running after us, he bumped into Jessie, and I saw her fly headlong into one of those exchange machines. I saw some kind of transfer take place, and when she got back to her feet, she grabbed the new poke ball...."
"So I was right! She DIDN'T trade me on purpose!"
"Nope. It was all the con-man's fault -- if he hadn't stolen the money, your friend wouldn't have chased him and knocked Jessie over," he said.
"You're right -- even if James was the one who knocked her into the machine, I don't blame him for what happened," I agreed, doing my best to supress the urge to go back to Weasel-Man's camp and Mega Kick him a few more times. "He just wanted his money back. He didn't do it on purpose...."
"Yeah."
"Well, it's good to know what really happened," I continued, "but I still don't even know where Jessie and James are. You didn't see which way they went after the exchange, did you?"
"As a matter of fact, I think I did," he replied. "They had some kind of hot-air balloon that some kid busted a hole into. They got attacked, and they were launched into the sky. Looked like they were blasted in this direction...only a little further to the east...."
"So...they might just be further inland from here?!"
"That'd be my best bet."
I felt my heart filling with joy when I heard this. Now that I had a few clues...now that I knew what had happened, I had hope once again! By now, I felt rested in both body and spirit, and I knew that it was time to go. I was going to find them tonight -- of that I was sure!
Magikarp laughed. "Looks like you're feeling better! Ready to go and find your friends?"
I nodded.
"Well, good luck to you," he replied. "I'm glad I could be of some help. It's the least I could do."
"And I appreciate it! Thank you!"
"Good bye, friend," Magikarp said as he leapt into the air and plunged beneath the waves. "I hope we meet again someday!"
"Good bye! I hope so, too...." I called after him.
@->->-
Once Magikarp was gone, I turned back to the east and started heading inland once again. I still didn't know where, exactly, to look, but now that I knew I was going in the right general direction, I started to get another gut-feeling. All I had to do was trust my instincts, and I'd be fine.
I must've wandered through that woods for another few hours at least. My legs and feet were killing me, and I was starting to get tired and hungry again, but I didn't let that stop me. I was determined to find my friends, no matter what.
Each time I felt like giving up, I just reminded myself of the words to that song -- For I am coming home....Nothing can stop me now.... I kept thinking about Jessie and James's beautiful faces, Meowth's sarcastic wit, Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel's company, and how much I wanted to be a part of that again.
And sure enough, as I made my way through the forest, thinking of my home, I soon saw the glimmer of another campfire. This time, however, the scents were familiar. It was them! It had to be!
I'd finally come home!
As I drew closer to the camp, however, I heard a low, moaning sound, as if somebody were in pain. It sounded like Jessie!
Peeking from behind a tree, I saw that it was, indeed, Jessie. Her face was buried in her hands, and James was holding her as sobs wracked her body.
"Shhh...please don't cry, sweetheart. Please don't cry...." he whispered into her ear over and over again as he rubbed his hands along her back.
Jessie looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I...I just feel like such an awful trainer, James!" she whimpered. "I can't believe I lost Lickitung!"
My eyes filled with tears too as I listened to this exchange. She really did miss me!
"It wasn't your fault, Jess," said James. "It was mine for knocking you over...."
"Hey, don't you blame yerself for dis either, Jimmy," Meowth told him. "Sometimes shit just happens...and today, it just so happened ta be a slimy crook who stole all our hard-earned money!" He brought out his claws when he said this, as if he were ready to Fury Swipe something.
"Meowth is right," James sighed. "Jessie, it's not like you abandoned Lickitung or traded her away on purpose -- it was just an accident!"
"But she doesn't know that!" Jessie cried as more tears streamed down her face. "Oh, God, James, what if she thinks I got rid of her because I don't love her anymore?! What if she thinks I rejected her?! I don't want her to blame herself or think she's a failure!"
James said nothing, just held Jessie closer and rocked her back and forth. Meowth hugged her too. All three of them were crying now.
On the other side of the campfire, I could see Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel in a similar huddle. The three of them were crying as well, and I could hear Arbok talking about how much she missed me as Weezing comforted her. A short distance away, a large, blue, blob-like pokemon stood by himself, his face contorted in a grimace. Wobbuffet, no doubt. He was kind of difficult to read, but I got the feeling that he wasn't very happy either.
"I feel so guilty, James," Jessie whispered. "The last time I saw her...I was mad at her...."
"Jessie...."
She laughed bitterly and wiped some of her tears away. "I...I was yelling and screaming at her for licking me right after I washed my face! God, she was just showing me how happy she was and how much she loved me, and all I could do was act like a bitch! I'll never forgive myself for that, James! I'd give anything to have her slobber all over me again...."
"She will," James said, placing a hand to her lips. "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll go back to Pompona and find her...."
"And how do we plan on doin' dat?" Meowth queried. "Dey ran us outta town! Dey'd probably kick our asses if we ever went back!"
"We can wear different disguises, of course!" came James's reply. "There were a LOT of people at that swap-meet, and nobody ever recognizes us while we're in disguise, anyway. We'll just disguise ourselves again, go back to town, and ask around to see if we can find the trainer who traded their Wobbuffet to us." A thoughtful look crossed his face. "Hmmm...while I'm in disguise, I should go and file a criminal report against that con-man who stole my money, too...."
"Dat's all well and good, but how do we know we'll even find Wobbuffet's trainer again?!" Meowth asked. "Maybe dey came from another city...or maybe dey traded Lickitung ta somebody else after dumpin' Wobbuffet on Jess! And even if we do find him, how do we know he'll even consider goin' back on the trade?!"
Jessie began to cry again.
"Stop being such a pessimist!" James snapped. "I don't care how hard that trainer is to track -- Lickitung is a part of this team, and we're going to get her back! We'll find that trainer, and we'll find Lickitung, no matter what it takes! And he'll have to go back on the trade when we find him -- he won't have a choice! Jessie's poke ball went into the machine by accident, which means that she didn't consent to the trade! And if she didn't consent to the trade, it's officially invalid, and he'll have to give Lickitung back to her! Hell, even official trades can be nullified if one of the trainers changes their mind -- I heard one time that stupid kid traded his old Butterfree for a Raticate, but he got it back, no questions asked, when he realized that it was a bad trade...."
"James, do you really think we can get Lickitung back?" Jessie asked, a hint of hope in her voice.
He nodded and brushed her tears away. "I don't just think so -- I know so! Lickitung is our friend, and we NEVER turn our backs on a friend."
Jessie frowned again. "But what if Lickitung hates me for what happened, James?! What if she doesn't WANT to be our friend anymore when we find her?! What if she thinks I betrayed her?!"
"Now you stop that!" James said, cutting her off. "Lickitung is a sweet pokemon...just like her trainer. Worst case scenario, she'll be mad at you for a little while when we get her back, but once she realizes what happened, she'll forgive you. But I don't even think she will be mad -- it wasn't your fault. She can't blame you for what happened...."
"I guess," she sighed. "But still...."
"Don't worry about it," James whispered. "Everything will be okay. You'll see...."
"James, I miss my Lickitung," she whimpered as her crying began anew. "I love her, and look what happened -- I lost her. I should've known something like this was going to happen...."
"Oh, Jess...."
"What happens if I lose Arbok, too? Or you and Meowth?"
"You won't," James assured her. "Jessica, you already know that I'm not going anywhere. I've promised never to leave you more times than I can even count, and I've even proven it a few times! And Meowth is here to stay, too! We all are! I know you're scared of losing the ones you love, and after all that's happened, I know it's hard to let go and trust again. But you didn't really lose Lickitung -- this is just a minor setback, and we WILL find her again. I promise."
"Thank you," Jessie whispered.
James brushed the last of her tears away and kissed her on the forehead. "Get some sleep, honey," he told her. "We've got a busy day tomorrow."
Jessie nodded and smiled weakly.
With that, James tucked her into their purple sleeping bag and kissed her again. Once she was asleep, he and Meowth went to the other side of the camp to comfort Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel. The three of them seemed to cheer up somewhat when James told them of his plan, but they still looked a little upset.
I know James couldn't fully understand what they were saying, but from the tone of their voices (and a few translations from Meowth), he was able to figure out that they all hated Wobbuffet and blamed him for what had happened.
James sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Please, guys. I know you're all upset about Lickitung, but you mustn't blame Wobbuffet for that -- it wasn't his fault. He didn't ask to be traded to us any more than Lickitung asked to be traded away. He even tried his best for Jessie when the twerp attacked us -- he almost won!"
Arbok, Weezing, and Victreebel exchanged looks and began muttering amongst themselves.
"Look, all I'm asking is that you give him a chance," James continued. "I know he'll take some getting used to, but please try. Can you do that for me and Jessie?"
The three of them nodded.
James smiled. "Good. I knew I could count on you. Besides, from what I heard at that swap-meet, Wobbuffet was a reject pokemon that nobody wanted. We all know how that feels, don't we?"
"Yeah!" said Meowth. "Yer trainers was rejects, Me-owth was a reject, and all of youse guys was rejects, too!"
"Meowth is right -- we've all been rejects at some point, haven't we?" James chuckled. "I'd say Wobbuffet is going to fit in just fine. We rejects have to stick together, after all!"
"And stickin' tagedda is what makes us winners in the end!" Meowth chimed in. "Yer never really a reject as long as ya got people who love ya."
James smiled again and extended his hand to the newcomer. "Come on over, Wobbuffet. Say hello to everybody."
Wobbuffet waddled over, and James placed a hand on his head. "Wobb? (You really want me? You don't think I'm a loser?)"
"Of course not," James replied after Meowth translated for him. "Welcome to the team, Wobbuffet!"
Wobbuffet smiled.
"You're going to like Jessie," James continued. "You're going to like her a lot! She's a good person and a wonderful trainer!"
"Yeah!" said Meowth. "We may not win too many battles, but just as long as we got each other, we're happy."
"Wobb! (Then I think I'll be happy, too!)"
I smiled as I watched the other pokemon making peace with Wobbuffet. I was touched that they missed me, but I didn't want them to hate Wobbuffet or blame him for my being traded away. Besides, I was still a member of this team! I was back now, and I was never leaving again!
Once it looked like my friends were going to be okay, I decided that it was time to make my move. Slowly, I came from behind the tree and waddled over to Jessie.
"Licki!" I whispered as I brought out my tongue and slurped her face.
Jessie winced and waved her hand at me. "Stop it...I'm trying to sleep," she grumbled.
I chuckled and licked her again. "Tung!"
Jessie opened her eyes and looked up at me for a moment. "What the....?"
Guess who! I said happily.
When her vision came into focus, her eyes widened. "L-Lickitung?! Lickitung, is it really you?!"
Yep! I'm back!
Jessie smiled so widely I thought her face was going to split in half. "Oh, you came back...you came back!" she cried as she threw her arms around me.
Of course I came back! I love you, Jessie!
"Oh, Lickitung!" she said. I could feel myself being soaked by her tears.
"Jessie?" James said as he turned to see what was wrong. His face lit up when he saw why she was crying again. "Lickitung!" he exclaimed. "Look, Meowth! Lickitung is back!"
Meowth and the other pokemon all turned to face us, too.
"Well, I'll be damned!" said Meowth.
"Please forgive me, Lickitung!" Jessie sobbed. "I didn't mean for you to be traded...."
I know that, Jessie! I replied. I know you'd never get rid of me! I found out what happened, and that's why I'm here! I could never leave you...I love you guys too much to leave....
"Lickitung sez she knows the trade was an accident," Meowth translated. "She came back cuz she loves us."
Jessie hugged me more tightly than ever. "I love you too, Lickitung! And I'll never let anything like that happen to you again! Never!"
James smiled and patted me on the head. "Welcome back, Lickitung!"
"Yeah! We missed ya, buddy!" Meowth said.
I missed you too, Licki, Arbok chimed in. I didn't know what I was going to do without you!
Me either! said Weezing and Victreebel.
"See, Jess. Didn't I tell you everything was going to be okay?" James said, wrapping his arms around Jessie. "Lickitung isn't mad at you -- she knew you still loved her, so she took the initiative and found us herself!"
Jessie looked up at him and smiled. "You're right, James!"
"It's like this book I read when I was a kid. The Incredible Journey, I think it's called," he continued. "It was about something a lot like this -- three pets were separated from their owners, but they did whatever they had to -- braved the elements, faced starvation, even fought wild animals -- just to get home again! Just goes to show how powerful love is and how loyal animals can be to the people who love them...."
Jessie smiled again.
"And now dat Licki's proven just how much she loves ya, it means she's yers forever, Jess!" Meowth told her. "She's yer pokemon...she's one of us...nothin' can ever change dat now!"
That's right! said Arbok. If I'd been the one who got traded, I'd do whatever I could to find Jessie again, too!
Same here! Weezing said. Nothing will ever keep me away from James either!
Yeah! You can't get rid of us that easily! Victreebel laughed. We love you too much!
"The others say ya never hafta worry about losin' 'em either!" Meowth translated. "Dey all love ya!"
James grinned and put his arms around Weezing and Victreebel. "I don't care how many battles they lose -- we've got the best damned pokemon in the world!"
"That's for sure!" Jessie agreed as Arbok coiled around the two of us. Then, she looked over at Wobbuffet and smiled.
I smiled at Wobbuffet, too. We're more than just a team...we're also a family, I told him. Welcome to our family.
Wobbuffet returned our smiles. Thank you.
James put an arm around Jessie again. "Team Rocket will always stay together...."
"....Forever and a day!" she said, finishing the sentence for him and returning his embrace.
Then, the two of them held each other closer, and their lips met in a passionate kiss.
My smile grew wider than ever as I watched Jessie and James. I was going to be a bridesmaid at their wedding, after all! I was going to be there when their children were born! I was still a part of their family, and nothing would ever change that!
When Jessie and James finally released each other, Jessie went into her backpack and brought out a big bag of pokemon treats. "Here. Eat up, Lickitung! You must be starving!"
"And when you're done eating, you can tell us all about what happened," James said, seeing that I was carrying his change-purse. He unfastened the purse from my neck and smiled when he saw that all of his money was still inside.
Count on it! I replied.
Once I'd eaten my fill, Jessie, James, Meowth, Arbok, Weezing, Victreebel, and even Wobbuffet gathered around to hear my tale.
Make yourselves comfortable, guys, I told them. And get ready, Meowth. You've got a LOT of translating to do....
@->->-
It was probably five in the morning by the time we went to bed, and we all slept until noon the next day. Not that it mattered -- now that I was back with the team, there was no need for everybody to return to Pompona to search for me. (And no need to bother with the police since I'd gotten back James's stolen money and taught that slimy thief a lesson!)
"So, what are we gonna do about Licki now?" Meowth said as we all sat down to breakfast.
"What do you mean?" Jessie asked.
"Well, now dat Wobbuffet is yer new pokemon, ya can't use Licki around dose twerps no more," he explained. "If dey see her with ya, dey ain't never gonna believe dat she came back of her own free will -- dey'll think ya just stole her, and we'll all get in trouble!"
"Good point," said James. "And if that kid reports her missing, we'll be the first ones they come after!"
"I guess you're right," Jessie sighed. "Looks like Lickitung's going to be seeing a lot less action from now on." She placed her hand atop my head and frowned. "I'm sorry, girl. You're going to have to become an inactive member of the team."
It's okay, I replied. As long as I'm still part of the team.
Being an inactive member wasn't so bad, really. All it meant was that I was going to be sent to Team Rocket's central headquarters back in Celadon City. Jessie and James have a couple of good friends there, Annie and Oakley, I think they're called. They've been taking care of the pokemon that Jessie and James don't use all the time.
I was going to miss not being with Jessie full-time anymore, but it would be nice to see Vulpix and Growly again -- they got left at headquarters before we set out for Johto. James didn't want Growly to get electrocuted and blasted off all the time like the rest of us do, and Jessie left Vulpix to keep Growly company. Jessie and James called headquarters all the time to check up on the two of them, and I knew that they'd only be a phone call away once I was there, too. And if I was at headquarters, it meant that none of us would have to worry about me being traded again, and there was no fear that anybody would try to take me away.
Besides, it was only a temporary arrangement. Some day soon, Jessie and James are going to leave Team Rocket so that they can get married and have a family, and when they do, Vulpix, Growly, and I will come with them, and all of us will be together forever.
It was only for a little while...and it was for the best.
@->->-
Since I didn't have a poke ball anymore, I had to walk along with Jessie, James, and Meowth when we broke camp and started out for the next city. Not that I was complaining -- I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible before we got to the pokemon center.
Sure enough, the day passed all too quickly, and we reached the next city's pokemon center shortly before sunset. Once Nurse Joy had patched me up, Jessie got a new poke ball for me while James got on the phone and called Annie and Oakley.
"Don't be sad, Lickitung," Jessie said as she gave me one last hug and tried her best to fight back her tears. "I'm still your trainer...and I'll be calling you so often, you're going to get sick of me!"
"Yeah!" Meowth laughed. "Just ask Vulpix and Growly -- we call 'em whenever we can get to a phone! It's almost like dey're still travelin' with us we see 'em so often!"
Meanwhile, James had gotten hold of headquarters. He was saying hello to Growly, and Growly was happily licking the vid-screen on the other end. Once Annie and Oakley were back on the line, he turned to us. "It's time. You ready, Jess?"
Jessie brushed her tears away and nodded. Then, she drew me into the poke ball.
When I emerged a few minutes later, I was at headquarters, and I saw Annie and Oakley talking to Jessie and James on the other end of the phone.
"Transfer successful," Annie said. "Don't worry, Jessie, we'll take good care of your Lickitung."
"Thank you," Jessie replied. Then to me, "Good bye, Lickitung! I'll talk to you real soon! You too, Vulpix!"
"Bye, Growly!" said James.
Good bye, Jessie! Good bye, James! the three of us replied.
Once Annie and Oakley disconnected, they went to get our dinner.
Vulpix and Growly smiled at me.
"Great to see you again, Licki!" Vulpix exclaimed.
"It's been ages!" Growly agreed. "What brings you to headquarters?"
"It's a loooong story, guys," I told them.
"Well, whatever it is, we're sure glad you're here with us now," Vulpix continued.
"It'll take some getting used to -- we miss Jessie and James something terrible!" Growly admitted. "But it's nice to know that they're still there for us. And I know we'll all be together again real soon."
Vulpix chuckled. "Meanwhile, they always call us on the phone, and Annie and Oakley take real good care of us!" she said.
"Yeah. Can't say we have any complaints!" Growly agreed.
After a few minutes, Annie and Oakley returned with our dinner.
"Eat up guys! There's plenty more where this came from!" Oakley told us. Then to me, "And Mondo brings pokemon treats from Jessie and James every week, so there's always dessert, too!"
"So," Vulpix said once we were alone again, "what's this loooong story of yours?"
"Yeah! The suspense is killing us!" said Growly. "Talk already!"
I smiled at them. "Well," I began, "it all started yesterday morning when we arrived in the city of Pompona...."