28Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to a lot of people who have a lot of money and power, both here in America and abroad. Unfortunately, I'm not one of them. No one should get bent out of shape; I'm just borrowing these guys for a while. All apologies also to any pop culture references warped. I'm just borrowing them, too.
Note: This is my first fanfiction published, ever, so if it sucks that's a good excuse. The title comes from an Enya song on the CD Watermark. The title translates to "I have completed my journey." It takes place about five years or so from the beginning of the TV series, and has Rocketshippy goodness. It's part of a larger series that will deal with Ash, Misty, Brock, Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum (yep! I'm going to take on that one too!), and whoever the hell else I can bring in to this thing. As of right now, I only have a vague idea where this is going; let's just enjoy the trip for the moment! Enjoy, read and review, send intelligent comments to cursumperficio .
Cursum Perficio
By Latonya Wright
Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm
Lelia Cotton watched the afternoon news report from the store counter. Business at A Stitch in Time, Vermillion City's fabric shop, was slow today, so she'd had to content herself with the tiny television perched over Aisle Two.
The newscaster's Midwestern America twang told her about the latest crime wave: "The Hunter strikes again. This time the mysterious criminal has kidnapped the firefighting Squirtle Squad, with a proposed ransom of $10 million dollars..."
Lelia shook her head. She had never seen anything like this guy's progress. In merely two weeks' time, he had managed to steal the Squirtle Squad, one of the Elite Four's Moltres, and a whole host of Pokemon from the richest families in Indigo, including the Morgan family's treasured Growlithe...
The bell on the store's door clanged, heralding the arrival of a customer. Lelia glanced away from the set to see who was entering this time. She suddenly grinned-her favorite customer, a large purple cobra, was sauntering up to the counter, a piece of paper sticking out between his fangs. "Arbok! Good to see you today!" she called.
As Arbok slithered toward the counter, he greeted his friend with a few pleasant hisses, though his words were muffled by the paper in his mouth. She patted him on the head, then retrieved the paper. "Another supply run, huh?" she asked as she looked over the list. "Okay, wait here and I'll pick it all up for you."
She roamed the store, gathering colored thread here, a skein of lace there, and many beautiful ribbons, among other dressmaking supplies. "I'm surprised Jessica is letting you roam around the streets with that Hunter on the loose," she called over the aisles to Arbok. "I guess she and Melinda are busy with the dresses for the Black and White Ball next week, though."
"Charrrrbokkkka..." Arbok agreed, nodding his head. Mistress had argued with him. She'd wanted to come herself because a dangerous man was running around stealing Pokemon. Yet Arbok had insisted too. This was his job, after all-and Mistress was needed because she had those things called arms and hands that helped make the human clothes.
"Hey, I bet Julian is pretty busy nowadays too, huh?" Lelia continued from the back of the store. "Do he and Jessica have time to see each other anymore? He's always jetting off to Paris for his own fashions-"
"Bok." Arbok's answer was so short and bland that Lelia had to laugh. How cute-Arbok was jealous of Jessica's boyfriend! He was so protective of her; what a close relationship those two had.
Still chuckling, she brought the basket of wares to the counter. After ringing them up, and scrawling a quick note to Jessica on the back of the receipt, she bagged them with a handful of Pokemon treats added. "There you are, my friend, those are for you. Be sure to give some to Wobbuffet too!"
"Charrrr!" Arbok answered gratefully. Lelia held the bag up to him, and he grabbed the handles with his mouth again. As he sauntered to the door, Lelia waved at him, saying, "See you soon, honey!" He waved with his tail before leaving the store.
Lelia smiled as the purple snake left. He had been picking up supplies ever since Jessica had opened Jessica's Haute Couture nearly a year ago. Sometimes Jessica herself came into the shop too... despite her warmest smiles and friendliest invitations, though, neither Arbok nor Jessica ever opened up and told Lelia anything about their lives before Vermillion City. Sometimes she wondered how they had come there... Oh, well, perhaps she would find out someday. For now, she climbed back onto her stool and contented herself with a Family Feud rerun.
Arbok sighed as he slithered back toward the store. Poor Friend Lelia. She really had gone easy on him today-no annoying questions, though the one about Evil Julian had irked him a great deal. Although he hated Friend Lelia's prying, he did like being able to run that errand for Mistress. It gave him the opportunity to get free treats, and it also gave him the opportunity to think, something he had been doing a lot lately.
Mistress, Wobbuffet, and he had been in Vermillion for quite a while now. It had been a peaceful life, for the most part. Sometimes the videophone would ring off the hook at home and at work, and then Mistress would work feverishly on her dresses until late in the night. However, those times were few and far between. Most of the time she worked in the store with Friend Melinda, made a lot of money from her creations, and took him and Wobbuffet home to a comfortable apartment. It was nothing like a long time ago, when they had no money and had to sleep in the woods...
At that thought Arbok became afraid. Mistress had told him when they first came to Vermillion: "Now, Arbok, remember-I know we had a... very interesting life before we came here. No matter what happens though, you and I and Wobbuffet must never talk about it to anyone, do you understand? We might have liked our life... but telling anyone about it could get us and our other friends in a lot of trouble. We have a nice life now... time not to think about our days as criminals, okay?" He wondered if he had messed up by thinking it now, as if the humans could pick up the thoughts within his head.
And yet... certainly it was a nice life now. A warm and stable shelter, no young humans with a Pikachu, all the food he could eat. But... Well, nothing really... Mistress just looked so tired here sometimes. She never looked as happy as she had with Master James and Meowth. Sure, she smiled with Friend Melinda, and she always gave the customers the right amount of what she called "sass." But her eyes didn't sparkle in quite the same way. She had brighter eyes when she was pulling off a heist, or digging a hole to catch the Pokemon, or even "blasting off again." Could Mistress not be happy at all in this new life?
But Arbok knew why she wasn't happy-he was convinced it was because Master James wasn't around anymore. Mistress and Master James had been together everyday for six or seven years; whenever Arbok had been out of his pokeball, he had seen the closeness between them. Sure, they used to scream and hit each other a lot. Arbok had asked Koffing about that once. After a moment of conversation with his brother heads, Koffing responded, "Master told us once, 'Through her hits, I feel her love.'" It sounded silly-like saying pokemon battled for love or something. Yet it must have been true, for Mistress and Master did nice things for each other too. Arbok remembered the time they all had dressed up like dolls for Mistress, even remembered the time they'd saved Master James from a thrashing by the biker gang.
That was it! That was Arbok's problem. He didn't see anything like that with Mistress and Evil Julian. He had never seen Mistress hit Evil Julian; in fact, she did loving things, like curl up with him on the couch, or feed him sometimes with her own fork, or... well, he blushed to think of what happened when Julian spent the night. (He was naïve, yes, but not that naïve.) It wasn't surprising that Mistress could be nice. What was surprising was that Evil Julian merely...expected Mistress to do these things. He never blinked, grinned, and looked surprised and grateful, as Master James had. Instead, Evil Julian had smirked, and scoffed, and mocked her little kindnesses, and brought her all sorts of powder and pills that made her sick, and hated pokemon, calling them "stupid filthy animals..."
Suddenly the snake pokemon noticed that his jaw was rigid. A strange, gurgling hiss came from his throat. Uh-oh. He always got that way when he started thinking of Evil Julian. Calm down, he told himself. He didn't mean to be a mean Pokemon anymore. Just... when he started thinking about it all...Arbok realized that, although their life right now was just what Mistress had always wanted, she would be much happier if That Night had never happened.
Thinking of That Night, even just long enough to refer to it, was always a bad idea. Besides, he was close to the shop anyway. Better to stop thinking and deliver the goods to Mistress and Friend Melinda.
"Hey, you on the radio still?" The voice was hushed, so it wouldn't echo in the alley.
"Of course I'm still here, you idiot. Is the coast clear now?"
"You're gonna hate this, but scrap the heist-"
"What the fuck are you talking about? I've got a schedule, you know that-"
"Wait a minute and let me talk, will ya? You won't believe who I just saw cruisin' down the street."
Sarcasm dripped from the other walkie-talkie. "Don't leave me in suspense, cha-cha, who'd you see?"
"Brace yourself. Arbok."
A pause. "You're shitting me. You're fucking shitting me. Where-what-how do you know it's him?"
"Oh, come on now, how could I not know him?"
Another pause. "You're...you're right. I just can't believe that... look. Tail 'em. All day. All night. Whatever it takes."
"I'm on it. Over and out."
Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, Phone call, phone call!
Ring ring ring, ring ring ring, Phone call, phone call!
Jessica swore under her breath. Damn videophone. It had startled her, causing her to jam a needle into a fingertip. Even as the phone exploded, Arbok entered with a bagful of supplies. Great, dammit. After a second of thought, she dropped the needle, letting it swing from the thread attached to the ballgown. "Melinda, could you please get that for me? I've got to help Arbok get these things to the supply closet." She jogged over to Arbok, and lifted the bag from his mouth. "Thanks for doing that, sweetheart. I'll take it from here. Any problems?" Arbok shook his head in response.
"Yeah, I've got it." Melinda dropped the dress she held and ran towards the phone. Her blonde hair bounced as she ran. "Good afternoon, Jessica's Haute Couture, how may I help you?" she asked breathlessly.
The face on the screen could have been that of a young Brad Pitt. Blond, green-eyed, flawless skin and smile, the only sign of imperfection the wire-rimmed glasses perched on his thin nose. The voice held a slight hint of an English accent. "Good afternoon, Melinda, I guess you know who this is, it's Julian!"
The girl blushed at the young man's gaze. Even though he'd been calling for a while, it was still disconcerting to see famous fashion designer Julian Alexander in something that wasn't a fashion magazine. "Um, yeah, hi there, Julian. Where are you today?"
"It's Milan today, dear. You know, you're looking as lovely as ever. I should like to design a dress just for you one of these days."
Melinda's blush spread to cover her neck. "Thanks. I, uh... I'll get Jessica for you. Hang on just a second." She scurried off to get Jessica before she could reveal any more feelings for the handsome young man. Julian merely smiled and waited.
As he waited, Arbok glided swiftly and surely towards the videophone. He fixed a cold and haughty gaze upon Julian. Julian glanced around, making sure no one was near before addressing the snake. "Dirty animal, I can't believe she keeps you about. Once I'm able to take her away, I'll make sure you and that other blue thing disappear-" His words were soon drowned out by Arbok's angered hissing.
"Oh, Arbok," her throaty voice moaned. "Don't start that. Return." A flash of red light preceded the snake's disappearance. A second later, Jessica appeared, fastening a small red ball to her belt. "Hello, Julian, how are you? Are you back in town now?" she asked, tossing her trademark braid over her shoulder.
"I'm on my way to you, darling, I'm at the airport right now. I should be in your arms by nightfall."
She bit her lip. "I hope you don't want me to come and pick you up. You know I hate driving in town."
"Yes, I remembered that, dearest. I was just calling to ask if perhaps I could come over tonight. We could really have a nice time."
Now Jessica raised an eyebrow. "I don't know. I really have a lot of stitching to catch up on. I don't have an army of designers to help me, you know?"
"Come on, darling, I'll send a couple of my girls over to help you, all right? You've been working hard, you need a break. We could watch a movie, order some pizza, snuggle..." He lowered his voice. "And I've picked up some lovely stuff while I'm here. The people of Milan are very gracious to the rich and famous. They even gave me enough to share with you."
For just a moment Jessica wondered when she wouldn't need the "stuff" he was offering. She shook her head to clear that thought. She wasn't addicted, not by a long shot, but he had been gone for a week, and she missed the euphoria that came with a nice line, or even something as small as a joint. "Since you put it that way, let's party. What time will you be in?"
At that question Julian shrugged. "Who knows? The plane is scheduled to get there at 7, but I have to get the girls to come over to your shop, and I have to check on my own store, and run some more errands. Hopefully it won't take so very long."
Her lips curled into a smile. "Surprise me."
"All right, darling, I'll swing by your place and we'll have fun. If you're not careful, I might get impatient and pop a question a bit earlier than I'd planned." He gave her a quick wink. "Goodbye, darling, love you!" With that, the screen went blank.
Jessica stood, mouth open, shocked at the implications. Could he actually have meant it? Was Julian really thinking of marrying her? The concept was mind-boggling, and she would have pondered it further, but Wobbuffet looked a little too happy in the dress she had been stitching earlier. He was dancing around in it, singing a happy song. "No, you don't, pal. Off with Mrs. Pforzheimer's dress." Back to the daily grind.
When Jessica locked up the shop at 6, the streets were fairly deserted, and she thought about summoning Arbok for protection. It was silly for her to be afraid, and she knew it. Mild-mannered Jessica Watson used to be Jessie of Team Rocket and Jessie Watson the homeless kid, after all; she could take care of herself. Such a bold thought, but then she would remember the feeling of the foreign body on top of hers, or the gun pressed to her temple, and her step was a bit faster.
The walk from Haute Couture to her apartment usually took about fifteen minutes. On ordinary days, Jessie used that time to effectively plan her evening. Julian's words, however, put her in a self-reflective mood. Her plans for Mrs. Dummit's sheath dress, her usual Must See TV musings, even her concerns about the grocery store, all gone.
What had pitched her into such thought? The fact that Julian was thinking about marrying her after only 6 months of dating, despite knowing nothing about her at all... that was just a little bit disconcerting. More importantly, though, she wondered-had she come far enough over the past year to accept Julian's offer, if he made it? She had been independent for so long: could she give all that up to become an utterly dependant wife?
The wind picked up then, lifting her skirt and making waves in the cotton fabric. Jessie looked to the sky. "Storm clouds," she murmured. "I better hurry home, or I'll get caught in the rain." Rain still made her hair frizz, so she ran.
When she walked through the door of her small but comfortable flat, she hung her coat on the coat rack, then released Wobbuffet and Arbok from their pokeballs. "Welcome home, guys, get comfy," she announced, pulling off her boots. Her animal friends wandered into the kitchen for dinner. So good to be home!
Jessie collapsed on the floral print couch, Mrs. Pforzheimer's dress still draped over her arm. She rested her head on the back of the couch and let out a breath, watched the air fluff her bangs. Her gaze fell on the framed decoration that hung on the opposite wall. It was a newspaper article from the show in Paris six months ago. The picture accompanying the article showed her, dressed in a stunning black strapless floor length, her hair in an elegant chignon, her arm draped casually over Julian's elbow. The headline screamed at her: "Paris Proclaims The Dynamic Duo Tres Chic." Her insides melted as she remembered the time: seeing her clothes on wafer-thin runway models, hearing the applause of the Vogue and Vanity Fair editors and others, being swept up triumphantly in Julian's arms by the press during the day, swept up in his silk bedsheets by the night. Then she had felt powerful, beautiful, exultant, and she almost felt like giving voice to these feelings, but when she opened her mouth all that came out was "I should go and change my clothes. Hurry up, Arbok, I think it's almost time for All My Ekans!"
Again she tried to force herself into thinking about Julian as she shrugged into her t-shirt and designer jeans. She thought Arbok's favorite soap opera might pitch her into a romantic mood. The rain softly pelting the windows added to the setting. She imagined the evening as part of her new life as Julian's wife. Spending an evening in his mansion, protected from the nasty storm outside, nibbling caviar from his dainty fingers as they watched old movies...why was the image so damn dissatisfying?
"You're missing it, Mistressssssss!" Arbok cried in his hissing language. "You missed it last week, and now I must tell you what happened!"
"Coming, Arbok!" Well, perhaps the plot of the soap would make her thoughts come more easily.
As she stitched the skirt to the halter on the dress, Jessie, Arbok, and Wobbuffet watched the adventures of the Arboks and Ekans. The first plot for this week involved the burning question, "Who is the father of Geraldine's eggs?" As Geraldine the Arbok screamed at Robert the Arbok, Jessie blushed to think that she could actually become someone's mother. Arbok nodded sagely, pointing out that he knew Robert had to be the father.
Next, two young Ekans came onscreen. They began chattering at each other, then fainting and sobbing. Arbok began bawling; Jessie was confused. "Wait a second, Arbok, they're talking too fast. What's going on?"
"Oh, Mistress, it's the most beautiful thing! Sidney wants Little Lucie to run away with him. He loves her so! He just promised to always love and protect her... that he'll never leave her side-"
I promise, I'll always protect you...
The explosion-the hard desk against her back, the hard body pressed on top of hers-her screams-the Fury Swipes-
You've had to protect me for so many years, beautiful, brave Jessie. Well, now it's my turn. I'm going to take care of you from now on. It's time to be a man...
You did WHAT?
The Pokemon's voice, joined by the pitiful cries of a Wobbuffet, spoke of the characters' raptures. "Little Lucie has promised to stay with Sidney forever and ever! She's going to give up her dream of being a battling Pokemon to join him in the wilderness!"
Jessie, go! They'll hurt you if they get you-
Team Rocket foot soldiers trampling the grass, coming ever closer...
No, Jessie, please go! I promise, if I make it out of this alive I swear I'll find you! I will come back to you if I can, my beautiful Jessie, I'll move heaven and earth to come back-
The kiss-
The explosion-
She gasped, clutched at her collar with one hand and reached blindly with the other hand. A faint voice called her back. "Charrrrb?"
Jessie blinked. A runny-nosed Arbok and a tearful Wobbuffet regarded her curiously. "Uh, sorry, guys. Just happy for Lucie and Sidney." The needle began stabbing at the soft fabric once again.
No. She jammed the dress into the closet in her room. There is absolutely no reason for me to even think of all those old things! The closet door banged shut. There is nothing to fear now. She tossed a cover over the sowing machine, ignoring the fact that the sheet hung haphazardly. No goddamn stupid Pokemon soap opera will rattle my calm façade! The spools of thread flew into the drawer.
Jessie slammed the drawer shut, then collapsed on the bed and buried her face in her hands. Please, God, make the nightmares go away. Just once.
What the hell had happened to her? Where was Jessie of Team Rocket, that brave, bold and beautiful girl who "blasted off" without a scratch, who ordered around a guy and a talking Meowth, who controlled mighty machines, who was the daughter of the great Miyamoto of Team Rocket? Who was this girl who cried during thunderstorms and had flashbacks and felt utterly defeated?
Thinking like that made her angry. She had no right to call her present life awful. This was everything young Jessie Watson had wanted as a little girl. She made clothes, not for a heist but for a living, and she was damn good at it too. She made a lot of money from her fashions, and right now she had a warm home, lots of food, and even a nice savings account and 401K for the future. What else could a former street rat want? She even had friends, people like Melinda and Lelia, people who both loved her fame and who genuinely cared about her and her Pokemon. Hell, she had even more-for perhaps the first time in her life she had love, real love. Julian was rich, handsome, and wonderful to her. He gave her the big breaks in Paris and Barcelona, brought her all sorts of expensive gifts, constantly gave and gave and gave, of money and fashions and "treats"... It was childish to want anything else. She had heard the old adage, "The more you have, the more you want." What more could the girl who had everything want?
She lifted her head from her hands and nodded. Yes. She had it all. She had better work on enjoying everything she did have. With that, she rose from the bed and headed for the kitchen.
The rain gently pelted the window, recreating the tears carefully wiped from Jessie's cheeks.
Well, now it's my turn. I'm going to take care of you from now on. It's time to be a man...
At eight o'clock, a firm knock sounded on her door. "Poor Julian, he's probably soaking wet by now." She rose from the couch, stopping to look at the now-scowling pokemon. "If I leave you guys out, do you promise to behave? No poison attacks," she emphasized to Arbok. The purple serpent leaned into the cushions and sulked.
Her laughter rippled through the apartment, followed her to the door. She was so confident that it was Julian that she didn't even ask who it was. "Welcome home, darling!" she announced as she opened the door. "I-"
She looked at the male figure in the hallway. He was dressed completely in black, pants, black button down... that was normal for Julian. He had shoulder length hair, though the color was hidden in the darkness of the hallway. What got her, though, were the eyes. They were not the same green.
At first she thought of screaming, but suddenly the light from her apartment illuminated the stranger. She gasped. "Oh, dear God..."
I will come back to you if I can, my beautiful Jessie, I'll move heaven and earth to come back-
"Hello, Jessie," the aristocratic voice murmured, flashing a shy smile. "Remember me? I told you I'd come back."
"James..." she whispered. She blinked, and the world turned black as her knees buckled.
OK, it sucks. Stay tuned for part 2 anyway.