The Last Blast Off - A Pokeshipping Story

Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

One of the worst parts of working in the food industry was having to be cheerful when you would rather drown in your own misery.

James forced a smile to his face despite the tears welling up in his eyes (he had always cried so easily. Jessebell said it was improper), trying to hold himself together long enough to give Ash his free dessert, as promised.

"Here you are," he exclaimed, setting the cake down between the couple. A single candle flickered in the middle. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"This is lovely," Misty said, shaking her head. "I can't think of anything else."

James forced his gaze onto Ash. His lips were turned downward.

For a moment he wanted to smash the cake into the Trainer's face.

"I guess I can't think of anything either," Ash stated.

"It was a pleasure serving you both." James bowed.

He left without another word. No more twerps. No more Team Rocket.

James was on his own.

He walked to the back exit door, glad that the alarm didn't actually work. They had accidentally broken it when they'd first started working at the restaurant—not that their manager knew that.

He pushed the bar, trying to hold back the flood of memories. He would leave and he could go wherever he wanted without anyone holding him back. No more crazy Pikachu capturing plans. No more bad luck. No more stalking—unless he decided he wanted to try working with paparazzi, but that wasn't his first choice.

The world was his Cloyster. His for the taking. He just never imagined the world would feel like such a small, lonely place without his friends.

A hand caught hold of his shoulder. "You okay?"

James turned to find Ash, his face sincere. He wished it was Jessie or Meowth. Not that Meowth was tall enough to reach his shoulder, but one can dream.

James brushed his eyes with his sleeve. "I've never been better."

"You don't have to lie."

His sadness turned to anger.

"Everything was going perfectly fine until you showed up," James exclaimed. "We were living our lives without you. Jessie was still planning to take Pikachu, but at least there was more to our lives than you. And then you came here and she saw you and figured out I'd been hiding you this entire time. It's because of you that I was kicked out of Team Rocket."

"I thought you'd all given up on trying to capture Pikachu. I didn't know."

He sniffed. "That's because you're insensitive."

Ash suppressed an eye roll, but his tone was soft, "So what are you going to do now that you're not part of Team Rocket?"

"Don't rub it in!"

Ash patted his back. "You know, you can come stay with me if you want."

James considered this. He would be the worst traitor in the history of traitors if he accepted help from the twerp. Then again, he didn't have anywhere else to go. His parents would make him marry if he went back home. Not another soul cared about him.

He didn't really have any more pride left and nodded.

On the other side of the door he heard scratching.

"Oh. I also kind of got you a present. I couldn't bring it into the restaurant. It was my backup in case you wouldn't help me."

A whimper muffled through the metal.

James' eyebrows pulled down. He opened the door. His mouth dropped open. "Growlie?"

His old companion wagged his tail, jumping at the sight of his Trainer. James hurled himself onto the floor, pulling his Growlithe into an embrace. Growlie licked his cheek. It had been years since they'd been together.

"I figured since you weren't trying to capture Pikachu you were a good guy now. A good Trainer can't go without his best friend, can he?" Ash shifted. "Plus I saw a newspaper article that said your parents had died... again... and that they were going to give Growlie away if you didn't go claim your inheritance. So I stole him."

James almost died of shock. "You stole my Growlie?!"

"Well yeah. It wasn't that hard."

James was equally offended at a child being better at his line of work and proud that Ash had learned from the best.

It was the last bit of motivation he needed. If Ash could be bad, then James could be good.

He stood, Growlie at his side, and pointed at Ash. "All right, I'll do it!"

Ash blinked in surprise.

"All this time I've been, well, I've been a twerp," James admitted. "Even when Team Rocket has been horrible to you you've been nothing but good to us! Except for all the electrocutions, of course."

"You were stealing our Pokemon!"

James ignored him. "To pay you back for this kindness I will help you perform the most romantic proposal of all time."

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed, fist pumping. "Now you're talking."

Growlie barked in approval.

"Now, Growlie and I have some plotting to do. Mark my words, Ash Ketchum, you better be prepared..." he grinned as Ash grimaced, "for the trouble of a wife."

Ash shrugged. "She's already been abusing me for years. I don't think it'd be any worse."

"Jessie is most likely planning to kidnap you as we speak." James placed a hand on Growlie's head. "So I would leave quickly if I were you. And make sure you're not followed by anyone but me."

"Er, I don't have my Pokemon if something happens."

James' eyes lit up. He had an idea. A wonderfully awful idea that, for once, was not evil.

Ash cringed. "What are you thinking?"

"Never you mind. You gave me a task and I will not rest until it is completed," James replied haughtily. "Now, this is what I need you to do..."

What is James plotting? What will happen!? The suspense is killing me!

^That was an example of James' dramatic sass.

Does anyone else miss Growlie? Because I do. Growlithe are so cute and loyal and James ABANDONS his best friend! I'm still annoyed about that. But I get it. A bad guy can't have an awesome Pokemon like that. Not that James is all that bad.

Pokemon Question of the Day: Which Pokemon would villains in the Pokemon world own?

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Only one more left!

-Flips