Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Team Rocket's Secret ❯ Chapter 9

James' eyes opened wide for the seventh time, and he repressed a groan. What woke me up this time? he grumbled to himself. The air conditioner? An owl? The wood creaking? He frowned thoughtfully. Hmm...what woke me up? He sat up slightly, one hand on Jessie's while he looked around. There was Ash snoring and Pikachu sparking in his sleep, Misty fast asleep with Togepi on her pillow, and Brock was half-in/half-out of his bed.

That's not it, James thought, looking around. The room was all dark, save for a shaft of moonlight coming in through the window. A little disconcerted, James lay back down and closed his eyes.

*tap*tap*tap

Now I know I heard that! James cried to himself, sitting up again. There, outside the window, tapping lightly at the lock, were two teens in black Team Rocket uniforms. They happened to look just as he did, and they all stared at each other for a moment, shocked into frozen silence. Nothing moved. Then...

"Jessie, wake up!"

Everyone woke up when he yelled that, and the Team Rocket kids outside gave up trying to sneak in and broke the glass, jumping inside the dark room.

"Hey...what's going on?" Ash mumbled, not quite sure what was happening.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu tried to tell Ash they were under attack, but of course, Ash couldn't quite understand.

Jessie, who was sitting up wide awake, found herself staring into darkness with strange sounds surrounding her, as if someone was stumbling through the room looking for something. She felt arms wrapping around her waist and someone's head resting on her shoulder. "Don't panic, James," she snapped, desperately trying to keep her own advice and also hugging him back.

"There they are!"

"Grab them!"

Meowth yowled and dove under the blankets.

"Pikachu, pika pika!" James yelled. *Pikachu, shock them!*

"Pika pika pi pi chuka!" the yellow mouse replied. *But I can't see, I'll hit you!*

"Chupikachu pipika!" James cried frantically. *Just do it, damn it!*

"Pika...chu!"

A burst of yellow light flared up as electricity streaked across the room. Everyone could see everyone...or at they least they would have if they weren't all being shocked. Togepi, who was the only one who wasn't zapped, squeaked in joy as he watched the show. The lightning faded as fast as it came, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

"James..." Jessie started to growl.

"The rat got the intruders, didn't it?" he defended himself.

"Pika? Pika pika," Pikachu grumbled, turning his back. *Rat? Dumb ingrate.*

Misty groaned as she grabbed Togepi. "But they know you're here, they must know!"

"We've got to get out of here!" Meowth said, sliding out from the bed and running to the window. "I don't see any more of them. We still got a chance!"

Jessie nodded. "If we can get to the balloon--"

"But there's still a big hole in it!" Brock argued.

"No problem, we can patch that up in a jiffy," James grinned. "Is it still in the woods?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, Officer Jenny said she was going to wait for help from Viridian to get it out."

"Then let's go!" Jessie smiled, her confidence returning. She jumped out of bed with James coming after her as they slipped their shoes back on.

"Hold on!" Misty said. "We should wait for Officer Jenny to come back--!"

"No time!" James cut her off, shaking his head. "The boss is probably coming right this minute. We have to move now!"

"Where's the balloon?" Jessie asked.

"You'll never find it in the dark," Brock said. "Even if we gave you perfect directions."

"That means we'll just have to take you to it," Ash said firmly.

"WHAT?" Misty and Brock gasped.

"We can't just let them wander around in the dark," Ash defended himself. "And what if Team Rocket really is out there? They need all the help they can get!"

The former Team Rocket members face faulted. "Thanks for the round of confidence," Meowth sighed.

"It doesn't matter!" Jessie said, forcing a smile. "Let's go!"

And with that, they all jumped out through the window, even though Misty was still struggling to get her boots on. "Hey guys, wait up!" she cried, hopping on one foot after them into the woods.

Five minutes after they had disappeared, the door opened and a very sleepy Nurse Joy came in and gasped at the damage. The curtains and walls were singed, the bedsheets were in a big mess, the empty bed had been overturned, and on top of it were two strange teens in Team Rocket suits unconscious on the floor. "Oh my!" she wondered, and ran to the phone.

Ten minutes after that, Officer Jenny came into the Pokemon Center. "Where are they?"

"In the trainer's overnight room," Nurse Joy said, following her in. "The others are gone, but I don't think they were kidnapped."

Officer Jenny whistled in awe at the damage. "I bet it was that kid's pikachu that did all this...I'd better get these two in handcuffs first." She locked the Team Rocket kids up, then went to the phone and called up the Viridian chief while Joy tended to the prisoners.

"Hello, chief? I know, I'm sorry to call you so late...well, you remember the Team Rocket misfits I had here?...yes, had. Team Rocket tried to kidnap them, but it looks like they got away. I've got two of the perpetrators here under arrest, but they're not the problem...I don't know where they went, there's no way I'd find them out in the woods right now. I think they're heading to their balloon...listen, we need to put an APB out on them. The misfits know they're supposed to go into protective custody, but this attack's probably spooked them...okay, thanks."

She hung up and looked at Joy, who had come in. "Will they be okay?"

Joy nodded. "They're just stunned. What about the others?"

Jenny sighed and leaned against the counter. "If they make it to their balloon, they might have a chance at getting away...I hope they head for Viridian. Got a flashlight I can borrow?"

Joy dug into one of the drawers in the counter and brought out a large railroad issue flashlight. "Here, this is best for looking in the forest."

Jenny smiled gratefully and took it, heading for the door. "Don't let anyone in you don't know," she called over her shoulder. "Do you have any pokemon that can protect you?"

Joy nodded. "I still have your jolteon and flareon for observation, remember?"

"Right. I'll be back soon," Jenny promised, and disappeared out the door.