Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Ripples ❯ Confrontation ( Chapter 3 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

I noticed the sun was going down. The taxi hadn’t carried me as far as I would have liked. First, I hadn’t had enough money to go the entire way. Second, if I did get caught, I didn’t want to drag my brother into this. I hadn’t been able to teleport, and I wasn’t sure if my remaining psychic powers would return to their previous strength. Therefore, I’d been walking for at least four hours--no, more like six or seven hours, I realized as I glanced up at the position of the sun in the sky. It had been a long, lonely journey without a person or pokémon for company. I didn't know where my pokémon were, and I didn't dare let Jessie's pokémon out. I’d been somewhat less conspicuous once I’d ditched the Team Rocket uniform. Now I was wearing black jeans, black boots, a blue shirt, a black leather jacket and a black cap. The red hair was still glowing like a neon sign, but it no longer came down past her--I mean my, butt. It was now slightly longer than my own hair, which is slightly longer than shoulder length, and the ends were jagged, but what can you expect when you cut your own hair in a hurry?
I was on the border of our property. My home, the Vanderhorn pokémon farm, is pretty big. The expanses of grass and mountains swept before me. Much of the grass was just starting to grow, and there were great patches of mud from the torrential rains we'd had in the last few days, which made it necessary to watch one's step. But I knew the farm and its grass type pokémon very well. After all, I'd lived here all my life except when I'd been on my pokémon journey. My parents had established this place, and Nigel and I had followed in their footsteps. It was so good to be home, especially after being involuntarily snatched away.
I looked around. There was no one in sight. I can teleport now, I thought. No wait, I can’t. I’m not sure if my powers are back, and even if they are, Nigel’s pokémon will see me as an intruder. Not to mention Steve and Diana, or the farmhands. I’ve got to tell my brother what happened--
<<Mistress,>> I heard in my mind. I almost cried in relief.
<<Merlin? Is that you? Are you all right?>> I replied. <<How are the others?>>
<<I am fine. Jade is rather upset. The others are still in their poké balls. Something very odd has happened. I do not know how else to say this, but a stranger is walking around in your body. There are two others with her--a young man and a Meowth that talks. >>
Now it all made sense. Now I knew why I looked so strange--I was in Jessie's body!
<<I know,>> I replied. <<I’m walking around in hers. How could this have happened?>>
<<I am not sure,>> replied Merlin. <<Right now, the stranger is furious that you stole her jewelry and her things and is gloating that she has the others. The anger and greed in her mind are intense. >>
<<Get out of there, now!>> I sent.
<<Where are you?>> sent Merlin.
I sent Merlin a mental picture, and few moments later, Merlin and Jade arrived. Jade looked at Merlin, who nodded. With a cry of joy, Jade jumped into my arms, and Merlin hugged me. We embraced; tears started streaming down my face, and Merlin explained what had happened. Oh, how could my pokémon have ended up with such a horrible person?
Jade’s ears perked up. “Someone’s coming,” it said. Good. My ability to understand pokémon speech was unimpaired.
The person who came into view was not a stranger. He was gangly with curly light brown hair and brown eyes. He had mud all over his clothes--his jeans, blue sweatshirt, and boots were covered by it. He gazed at me adoringly.
“Hi, my Steve is name, and I’m very meet to please you!” he stammered. “Um, how han I kelp you?”
I sighed inwardly. My cousin, Steve Vanderhorn, was a capable worker on our farm, even if he sometimes fell into mud puddles. Unfortunately, he was also a shy teenager who hadn’t quite gotten the hang of expressing himself around girls.
“Steve,” I sighed. “You really need to practice expressing yourself.”
“Y-you know my name? Oh, it must be dentistry!” he said, gazing at me with big puppy dog eyes.
This was bad. He was totally infatuated with me--or rather, the body I was occupying. This had to stop. Now.
<<Steve,>> I sent. <<I’m not a stranger. I’m your cousin, Kerri.>>
Steve’s eyes widened in astonishment. He gaped at me, then said, “I’ve got to switch to decaf!”
<<No, Steve. It’s me, Kerri. You are not hallucinating. I’ve switched bodies with-->>
Before I could finish my sentence, I heard a boy’s voice exclaim, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing with those pokémon, Jessie!”
I turned and saw three people running toward us. The first was a boy with black hair. He was wearing an official pokémon league cap, a black shirt, jeans, green fingerless gloves, and sneakers. The girl had orange hair, which was up in a strange ponytail, and she wore a yellow shirt, jean shorts with suspenders, and sneakers. In her arms, she was holding a pokémon I'd never seen before. It looked like a white egg with red and blue triangles, and it had a face. The young man with them had black hair, tanned skin, and wore brown pants and a green shirt. The boy was closely followed by a pikachu.
“Pokémon?” said Steve. “Oh, those. Hm, they kinda look like ones my cousin has, but I don’t think such a lovely lady would steal.”
“Appearances can be deceiving,” said the girl.
“She probably stole them from your cousin!” exclaimed the boy. “You’ve got to stop her!”
I held up a hand. “My name isn’t Jessie, and these are my pokémon,” I said. “You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”
“Yeah, like we really believe that!” cried the girl.
“Pi pikachu!” cried the other pikachu angrily. I understood that to mean, “And I don’t believe you either!” Sparks began to fly from its cheeks.
Jade stepped forward and cried, “That is my trainer--only she’s not quite herself today. . .”
“What has Team Rocket done to you? That’s Jessie of Team Rocket! She’ll steal you away! She and James and Meowth have tried to do that to me enough times!” cried the boy’s pikachu.
“Look, I don’t want to fight you,” I said. “I don’t want any trouble.”
“Did someone say trouble?” replied a voice that was all too familiar, yet not, to my ears. It was my own voice--my real physical voice as I’d heard it on tape recordings, but with a sinister twist to it.
“I can’t resist, Jessie!” replied James.
The black haired boy, his pikachu, and his companions looked in the direction of the voices. There was Meowth, and James, who was holding a rose in his hand and leaning against a blond haired girl wearing jeans, sneakers, and a dark and light blue striped shirt--me. Or rather, my physical body.
Jessie said, “Prepare for trouble!”
“And make it double!” replied James.
“To protect the world from devastation!”
“To unite all peoples within our nation!”
“To--WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY HAIR?!?” screamed Jessie as she saw that I'd cut her hair. “You--you’ve ruined my perfection!”
“J--Jessie--y--your hair!” cried James.
“I think it looks better dat way,” said Meowth as he folded his front legs the same way a human would fold his or her arms.
Jessie promptly kicked Meowth toward the horizon even faster than Breezy, my Pidgeot, could fly. He rapidly shrank from sight until he was nothing but a point, and then I couldn’t see him anymore.

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