Chapter Eleven: weird

"I’m Rachel how may I help you?" The receptionist said, not looking up.

"Well I, um, I’m here…" began James.

the receptionist didn’t look up, "Name?"

"Uh, James Kojiro." James said.

The receptionist looked up, and smiled, "And what is your objective, Mr. Kojiro?" she prompted. she had cropped blonde hair, and light blue eyes.

"We’re here to see Jessie." James said, hiding his nervousness.

The receptionist, Rachel, raised an immaculate eyebrow at him, "Jessie who?"

Jaycee stood nearby in the lobby. She flopped down on a leather couch beside Meowth. James stood in front of the desk,

"Jessie Musashi, my partner." James explained, "Red hair, about so tall…" he gestured with his hand to show her height.

"I know who you mean." Rachel said enthusiastically, she shrugged, "And if she was your partner, she sure as Pokémon isn’t now."

James looked puzzled, "Huh?"

"I’ll spell it out to you, Mr. Kojiro," Rachel said, "Miss Musashi has been promoted. Substantially."

James put his hands on his hips, "Promoted?" he repeated, "Don’t you mean demoted? That’s the only way either of us could go."

The receptionist shook her head, "Nuh uh, it’s all over head Quarters. Mr. Giovanni has a new partner. His first, actually, as he didn’t have one before, but we won’t go into that, will we? No."

James eyed her suspiciously, "So Jess is here?"

"Duh." Rachel said, "Word has it they went out for dinner last night to celebrate. There was something very unprofessional about it from what I heard. Of course, I’m not one to listen to gossip."

"I bet you’re not." James muttered. He frowned, "So, can I at least talk to her?"

Rachel sighed, "Alright, alright, I’ll see what I can do. But only cos you’re cute." She winked, and picked up the receiver of her phone. James turned his back to her as she dialed the number,

"Meowth," he said, "Jessie is here. Apparently she’s been promoted!"

Meowth looked shocked, "Pro-what? You mean she’s gone up a notch? When she couldn’t sink any lower?"

James nodded, "Uh huh. Business partner to the boss."

Meowth looked sad, "Oh." He said. His eyes lit up, "Well, if the boss is gonna promote her, maybe he’ll promote us too!"

James nodded, "Yeah, that must be it." He hardly wanted to burst Meowth’s bubble, although it didn’t make sense why the boss had only saved Jessie if he intended to promote them all. His thoughts were interrupted by Rachel.

"Jessie will see you now, sweetie." Rachel said.

James replied cautiously, "Umm, good." He said, weird girl he thought, "Come on Meowth, Jaycee, we get to see Jessie."

"No, no." Rachel said, "Jessie only requested a rendezvous with you, James."

James shrugged, "Oh, okay." He said.

Rachel stood up and went around to the front of the desk, "Come on James, I’ll take you to her room."

"She has her own room?" James asked in wonder, "We used to have to share with four others here!"

Rachel nodded, "Yes well, the room came with the job, I heard."

James followed Rachel down a corridor. Jaycee and Meowth were left in the lobby. Mounted pictures of red R’s lined the walls of the corridor, and doors with various signs on them led into different rooms.

"I’ve never been down here." James said, "This is where all the, the executives live, huh?"

"That’s right." Rachel said, "You’re a field agent, right?"

James nodded glumly, "Yeah, unfortunately."

Rachel stopped outside a door. There was no sign on this one, "Jessie is in there." Rachel said. She looked James up and down, "Jeez she’s lucky." She slipped him a business card, "If you ever need anything at all, anything, call me." She grinned, and walked back down the hall.

James glanced at the business card, and shoved it in his pocket. He knocked on the door cautiously. The door was thrown open before he even finished his third knock, and there stood Jessie, grinning.

"Jessie!" James cried, "I was so worried about you!"

"Well you shouldn’t have been." Jessie said smugly, "Come in, let me show you round."

James stepped into the huge room, and blinked, "It’s um, very large and big." James said, dumbstruck, "Is this place yours?"

Jessie nodded, "Uh huh. It’s not much at the moment. I’m getting an interior decorator in later today. I’m thinking of having a rose theme." She watched James reaction.

"Wow, that’s wonderful." James said, "So are you really the big G’s right hand girl now?"

Jessie was disappointed he wasn’t jealous, but hid it, "I guess so." She said carelessly, "I only just agreed to it last night at dinner."

James realized something. He was hungry, "Dinner, huh?"

Jessie nodded, "Yep. And this morning I got a Gyaradose size breakfast."

James was surprised, "You ate Gyaradose? Wow."

Jessie slapped him, "No stupid, it was just really big. Pancakes, toast, donuts…"

James rubbed his cheek, "Okay, okay. So, umm, you’re…"

"No, I’m not coming back to the team." Jessie replied, guessing his question.

"I understand," James said slowly, "I mean, who would give up all this, to be a field agent? I know I probably wouldn’t."

"So you’re okay with this?" Jessie asked, "Cos, if you weren’t, it wouldn’t matter, but hey, that’s just me."

James shrugged, "I don’t know if I’m okay with it." He said quietly, "You’re my partner."

"Times change, James." Jessie said, "Sure, we had some fun, a lot, actually, but only because we wanted to reach our goal. And that was to be rich and well off. And now I’ve reached it without your help, so I won’t be needing you any more."

James felt like Jessie had just pulled the floor out from under his feet, "So, goodbye?" he asked, breathing heavily to hold back a sob.

"Yeah." Jessie said, "Goodbye." She gestured to the door, and James walked away, his head down.

He turned back to her, and silently handed her two Pokeballs, with Arbok and Likitung in them. Jessie noticed the tears forming in his eyes, but said nothing as he walked out, closing the door quietly behind him.

"Pathetic wimp." She seethed, after he had left. Who needed him?

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James hadn’t said anything on the way back from Head Quarters in the Meowth Balloon. *(I explained this, so shut up)* Jaycee and Meowth weren’t sure what to say to him. he had said goodbye to Rachel, the receptionist, then had been silent. Jaycee felt out of place and uncomfortable. She didn’t know whether James minded she was there or not. Now James sat silently at their new camp site, which was in the woods just before Saffron city, looking at something in his hands. Jaycee and Meowth sat a distance away.

"I think she’s left him for da boss." Meowth said sadly.

"But why?" Jaycee asked, "He’s her partner."

Meowth shrugged, "She’s just; Jessie."

Jaycee pressed on, "What do you mean by that? James said the same thing about her."

"it’s who she is." Meowth explained, "James just doesn’t understand that she’s only in this whole thing for herself. She doesn’t care for anyone else."

"But I guess she can’t help being like that." Jaycee pondered, "I mean, from what I know, she had a pretty rough childhood."

Meowth looked up at Jaycee, "There’s something different about you." He said.

"What?" Jaycee asked, "What are you talking about?"

Meowth paused to sharpen his claws on a stick, "You’re not from around here, are you?"

Jaycee rolled her eyes, "Well duh. Didn’t you hear what James and I were talking about? Meowth, I’m not even from this world."

"I don’t understand that." Meowth said, "Maybe you’re just weird."

"yeah, maybe I am." Jaycee said.

James tossed and turned in his sleeping bag, but sleep wouldn’t come. The minutes wore on as he lay in his sleeping bag, his mind full of thoughts. There was a cold nip in the air tonight. winter was setting in. soon maybe it would snow. Jessie had always loved snow. He hoped she would have time to play in it like she did with him. if the Big G didn’t mind. He looked up at the moon. It was almost eerie, shrouded partially by clouds. But it was a beautiful sight to see through the tops of the trees. James sat up. he couldn’t just lay there. he got out of his sleeping bag, and pulled on his long pants and black T shirt. He set off through the trees.

Jaycee opened her eyes slightly, and looked across to see James’s sleeping form. It wasn’t there. she sat up, startled. Where was he? She stood up, and shivered in the crisp cold. She had a fair idea where James might be. She made her way up a rise in the land, and there was James at the top. The rise overlooked Saffron City. It was the place Ash and his friends had first encountered the little girl with psychic powers who turned out to be Sabrina’s inner child, but that of course is another story. James jumped when he heard Jaycee coming, and turned to face her.

"Oh, it’s you." He said, turning back to look at the lights of the town.

"Hey, don’t sound too disappointed." Jaycee said.

James didn’t respond.

Jaycee sighed heavily, "James, I know I’m not Jessie. I’m not trying to be her, understand that. and I won’t pretend to be. I know you miss her, but it was her own choice to take that job, you know."

"You think I don’t know that?" James asked hotly, "She really let me down, okay?"

Jaycee sat beside him, letting her long legs dangle over the edge of the rise, "I know she let you down. And she had no right to do that. you gave up that entire estate to be her partner, even after Jessibelle ran off."

James looked at her sharply, "That show really covered everything didn’t it?"

"Sorry." Jaycee said.

"For what?" James asked, "For watching the show?"

"For everything." Jaycee explained, "Of all, for loving you."

James smiled, "I think I can forgive you that. I thought about it, and its not me you’re in love with is it? It’s the idea of being in love with someone just like me. That’s the only plausible explanation I could think of for someone loving a, a, cartoon character."

Jaycee gasped, "That’s exactly it." She said, "I wrote that exact same thing in my diary back home."

James ran his fingers through his hair, "Yeah, well, I guess I sort of understand." He looked at her closely, "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure." Jaycee replied.

James sighed, "well, I used to sort of like Jessie the way you like me. But then I realized she wasn’t who I wanted her to be."

"But you’re exactly how I want you to be." Jaycee said, "You don’t realize how, well, obsessed I became over you."

"What do you mean?" James asked.

Jaycee plucked a grass stalk from the ground, and played with it as she spoke, "Well, I had this, this figurine of you, believe it or not."

"Bet he was cute." James said, amused.

Jaycee nodded, "Yeah, sure was. I used to carry this thing everywhere with me. And my bedroom, the walls were covered in pictures I’d drawn of you. And I’d go out in public dressed in a replica of Jessie’s costume. And once I even took a sign that said I LOVE JAMES."

James raised his eyebrows, "Well, that’s an obsession alright."

Jaycee looked sad, "And then my mom said enough was enough. She was sick of me dressing up as Jessie, and carrying the doll around. She gave me this big lecture, and I guess that’s when I realized I had to find the real you."

James swallowed, "Jeez, that’s really bad." He looked down at his hands, which he had folded on his lap, "You did all that for me?"

Jaycee sighed, "Yeah, I know it was dumb. But I just always felt so alone. I just wanted someone to share life with, like you have…well, had Jessie."

James smiled weakly, "I don’t know what’s stranger, all this stuff you’re telling me, or that I believe you."